England captain Harry Kane opened his Bundesliga campaign in spectacular fashion, scoring a hat-trick as defending champions Bayern Munich cruised to a 6-0 victory over RB Leipzig in their season opener on Saturday.
Bayern broke the deadlock in the 27th minute when Michael Olise smashed a powerful strike into the far corner after the ball dropped perfectly into his path. Serge Gnabry played a pivotal role in the build-up and was equally influential in the second goal five minutes later, picking out Luis Diaz after a slick passing move. The Colombian forward, who joined Bayern from Liverpool this summer, rifled his effort in off the underside of the crossbar to register his first Bundesliga goal.
Gnabry’s brilliance was on display again for Bayern’s third just before the break, deceiving the Leipzig defence with a feigned shot before teeing up Olise, who thundered home his second of the night.
Kane, who had been relatively quiet in the first half, came alive in the 64th minute, cutting inside and finishing off a swift counter-attack with a composed strike past Leipzig goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi. The visitors thought they had pulled one back when substitute Antonio Nusa found the net, but the goal was ruled out as the ball was moving when the free-kick was taken in the build-up.
Leipzig’s misery deepened when Kane produced a clinical finish from the edge of the box to make it 5-0, curling the ball expertly inside the far post. The England skipper completed his hat-trick in the 77th minute, slotting home unmarked after a fatigued Leipzig defence failed to track Bayern’s relentless attacking runs.
Bayern’s emphatic win sets the tone for their Bundesliga title defence, with Kane’s performance sending a strong warning to rivals about the champions’ intent this season.
Faridah Abdulkadiri
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