Joshua Kimmich was sent off after just four minutes, but red
cards for Klaus Gjasula and Matej Maglica ensured the hosts had the man
advantage at the break, the first time three men have ever been sent off in the
first half of a German top-flight encounter.
Kane broke the deadlock six minutes after the restart but it
was his second goal, a magnificent effort from inside his own half, that was
the highlight of a contest that also saw him pick up an assist on the first of
two goals for Jamal Musiala before striking in his 12th goal from nine matches
of this still-new Bundesliga season.
Leroy Sane, who set up Kane’s third, scored two of his own
while Thomas Muller also contributed to the heaviest defeat in the visitors’
history.
Things got off to a dramatic start when Kimmich brought down
Marvin Mehlem at the edge of the area and was shown a straight red, deemed to
have prevented the visitors from a clear goal-scoring opportunity after just
four minutes.
Bayern were initially awarded a penalty after Gjasula was
judged to have tripped Konrad Laimer, but on review referee Martin Petersen
overturned his decision, determining Gjasula was the last man and the incident
occurred outside the penalty area – resulting in the Albanian’s 21st-minute
dismissal and a free-kick for the hosts.
Darmstadt were holding their own against the Bundesliga
title-holders in the 10-v-10, even holding the shot advantage through the first
37 minutes, but became the architects of their own undoing when Maglica caught
up with Kane in nearly the exact same spot as the previous red-card incident.
The outcome was also the same though the visitors, down to
nine men, were able to sustain the deadlock to half-time despite threats from
Kane and Sane, who had a goal chalked off for offside.
It was a different story after the restart when Kane broke
the deadlock with a diving header to open the scoring six minutes into the
second half, five minutes before Sane tapped home Laimer’s cross from six
yards.
Then it was Musiala’s turn, extending to the advantage to
3-0 with an assist from Kane and throwing open the floodgates in the process as
Sane bagged his brace with an 18-yard strike past Schuhen four minutes later.
Then came Kane’s piece de resistance, a world-class strike
from just beyond the halfway line, sending Marcel Schuhen on a futile scramble
as he watched the ball touch down in the back of his net.
Muller made it six with his first goal of the season before
Musiala slotted past Schuhen for Bayern’s seventh, and while the Darmstadt
keeper made a few good saves, desperate not to see his side lose by
double-digits, he could not keep out Kane.
The England captain, hungry for more, latched into a perfect
pass from Sane to complete his hat-trick and relentless Bayern’s second-half
rout.