Harry Kane scored his second hat-trick for Bayern in their 8-0 victory over Darmstadt in the 9th round of the Bundesliga on the evening of October 28.
At the start of the match, all eyes were on the return of Manuel Neuer. The 37-year-old goalkeeper played his first match since his injury in December last year. However, the game’s focus soon shifted to the referee and the issuance of red cards. In the 6th minute, after losing the ball to Marvin Mehlem, Bayern midfielder Joshua Kimmich accepted the loss of his playing rights to prevent the opponent from entering the penalty area.
In the 21st minute, a similar situation occurred on the other end of the field. Initially, due to a misunderstanding, Klaus Gjasula was thought to have fouled Konrad Laimer inside the penalty area, and the referee initially showed a yellow card and awarded a penalty to Bayern. However, after VAR indicated that the foul occurred outside the penalty area, the referee pulled out a straight red card for Gjasula and allowed Bayern to take a direct free-kick.
In the 41st minute, Darmstadt lost Matej Maglica from a similar situation. The Croatian defender committed a foul against Kane just outside the penalty area, and the referee showed his third straight red card.
For the first time in Bundesliga history, both teams had to start the second half with 19 players. With a one-man advantage, Bayern didn’t miss the chance to win convincingly. In the 51st minute, Kane opened the scoring with a close-range header from a cross by Noussair Mazraoui. Bayern continued to dominate despite Kingsley Coman missing two chances.
In the 56th minute, Sane doubled the lead from a low pass by Laimer. The former Manchester City player scored his seventh goal for Bayern in the Bundesliga this season. After two quick goals, Darmstadt was on the verge of collapse. The newly promoted team couldn’t keep up with the quick and coordinated play and the accurate finishing of the reigning champions. In the 60th minute, Jamal Musiala scored from 20 meters to make it 3-0, four minutes before Sane scored from Coman’s pass to make it 4-0. Sane only needed nine games this season to equal his goal tally from the previous season.
In the 69th minute, Kane scored the most beautiful goal of the match. The English striker lobbed the ball over goalkeeper Marcel Schuhen from 60 meters. Leading 5-0 within 18 minutes, Bayern still did not stop. In the 71st and 76th minutes, Thomas Muller assisted Mazraoui and Musiala to make it 6-0 and 7-0. In the 88th minute, Kane completed his hat-trick from Sane’s pass.
Kane achieved his second hat-trick for Bayern this season, following his header in the 7-0 victory over Bochum on September 23. The former Tottenham star has now scored 14 goals in 13 matches in all competitions for Bayern, including 12 goals in nine Bundesliga matches.
Bayern currently leads the Bundesliga with 23 points from seven wins and two draws. Meanwhile, Leverkusen is second with 22 points, but having played one game less, and Darmstadt is 14th with seven points.
