Harry Kane scored a hat-trick as Bayern Munich thumped Mainz 8-1 on Saturday, equalling a 60-year-old record and keeping alive his team’s hopes of catching leaders Bayer Leverkusen.
Kane, who also laid on two assists, now has 30 goals in his
first season in Munich colours, equalling the record for a maiden campaign set
by German legend Uwe Seeler for Hamburg in 1963-64.
With nine games remaining to break the record, the England
captain has also drawn nearer to the season record of 41 goals set by Bayern’s
Robert Lewandowski 2020-21.
The win was Bayern’s second biggest this season, just behind
their 8-0 demolition of Darmstadt in October.
Bayern are now seven points behind Xabi Alonso’s unbeaten
Leverkusen, who host lowly Wolfsburg on Sunday.
Having sealed their progression to the Champions League
quarter-finals on Tuesday with a 3-0 home win over Lazio, Bayern were direct
and decisive against Mainz.
Outgoing manager Thomas Tuchel said midweek Bayern needed to
“win, win, win” to have any chance of catching Alonso’s side and Kane obliged
early, tapping in a Jamal Musiala pass after 13 minutes.
Kane had a header saved seven minutes later, but Leon
Goretzka was on hand to knock in the rebound.
Nadiem Amiri wove an incredible free kick through Bayern’s
defence shortly after but England striker Kane restored Bayern’s two-goal lead
in first-half stoppage time, collecting a lofted Goretzka pass on the turn and
blasting home.
Thomas Mueller added a fourth early in the second-half to
break Mainz’s resistance, allowing Bayern to run riot, with further goals to
Musiala, Serge Gnabry, Kane and Goretzka to bring the tally to eight.
Kane, who arrived from Tottenham in the summer, also became
the first player to score four hat-tricks in a Bundesliga season.
The loss leaves Mainz in second last, nine points from
safety.
Elsewhere, RB Leipzig won 2-0 at home over last-placed
Darmstadt to leapfrog Borussia Dortmund into fourth, the final guaranteed
Champions League spot.
The hosts rebounded from a frustrating Champions League last
16 exit to Real Madrid on Wednesday, forcing Darmstadt into an own goal from
Thomas Isherwood after three minutes.
Marco Rose’s men added another through Christoph Baumgartner
early in the second-half to go two points clear of Dortmund, who play at Werder
Bremen in Saturday’s late game.
Third-last Cologne drew 3-3 at derby rivals Borussia
Moenchengladbach, having led twice in a feisty encounter.
Cologne led for over an hour but were forced to come from
behind late in the game when Robin Hack scored two goals in three minutes to
give the home side the lead.
Damion Downs levelled the scores with 11 minutes remaining
but Cologne will finish the round in 16th, the relegation play-off spot, seven
points from safety.
Jeffrey Gouweleeuw scored the only goal as Augsburg beat
Heidenheim at home to climb out of a crowded mid-table to eighth place, within
touching distance of the European spots.
AFP
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