HARRY KANE scored his second Bundesliga hat-trick of the season as Bayern Munich defeated Hoffenheim 4-1 in a commanding display on Saturday.
The England captain continued his prolific form in a heavily rotated Bayern side, having also netted twice in Wednesday’s Champions League victory over Chelsea.
Coach Vincent Kompany made five changes to the starting lineup, including handing Chelsea loanee Nicolas Jackson his first start for the club.
Bayern lacked rhythm early in the match and Hoffenheim created the better chances during the opening exchanges.
Kane broke the deadlock before half-time when he sliced the ball into the net from a corner to give the visitors the lead.
Any hopes of a Hoffenheim comeback were extinguished shortly after half-time when Kane converted from the penalty spot after Bayern were awarded a controversial handball decision.
The England captain completed his hat-trick in the 77th minute with another penalty following a VAR review for a foul on Michael Olise.
Hoffenheim’s Vladimir Coufal managed to get his side on the scoresheet late on when his free-kick took a deflection on its way into the net.
Former Hoffenheim forward Serge Gnabry added a fourth goal in stoppage time to seal Bayern’s seventh consecutive victory in all competitions this season.
Kane now has 13 goals this term, including eight in just four Bundesliga appearances.
The striker has scored 98 goals in 103 games overall since joining Bayern in 2023, with this hat-trick marking his ninth for the club.
“Hat-trick Harry is what they called me in school,“ Kane told DAZN after the match, “that one kind of stuck when I was younger.”
Kane has converted all 17 of his penalties in the Bundesliga, with the England captain acknowledging that maintaining such a record “is not easy… I prepare a lot, I practise a lot.”
The striker added that “any ball in the box, whether penalty or not, I back myself to hit the target.”
In other Bundesliga action, Hamburg secured their first top-flight win in seven years and four months with a 2-1 victory over Heidenheim.
The promoted hosts had failed to score in their three previous matches since returning to the Bundesliga this summer.
Luka Vuskovic tapped in a rebound from a free-kick just before the break to give Hamburg the lead.
Arsenal loanee Fabio Vieira created Hamburg’s second goal with half an hour remaining, cutting the ball back to Rayan Philippe who stroked it home.
Heidenheim scored a consolation goal in stoppage time through Adam Koelle, which sparked a frantic end-to-end battle, but Hamburg held on for their historic victory.
RB Leipzig turned on the style in the first half to win 3-1 at home against promoted Cologne in Saturday’s late game.
Assan Ouedraogo put the hosts in front after 13 minutes by hammering in a bouncing ball in the box.
Cologne’s Jan Thielmann equalized ten minutes later but Brazilian striker Romulo restored Leipzig’s lead by knocking in a Christoph Baumgartner shot saved by visiting goalkeeper Marvin Schwaebe.
In the fourth minute of first-half stoppage time, Leipzig captain David Raum curled a brilliant free kick into the top right corner to put his side firmly in control.
Leipzig managed the second half effectively despite waves of Cologne attacks, handing the visitors their first defeat since returning to the top flight.
Leipzig have now won three consecutive matches since their opening round 6-0 thrashing by Bayern Munich.
Elsewhere in the Bundesliga, Freiburg won 3-0 at Werder Bremen while Mainz triumphed 4-1 at Augsburg despite being reduced to ten men when Dominik Kohr was sent off early in the second half. – AFP