Report and highlights as Harry Kane nets historic hat-trick as Bayern Munich hammer Mainz 8-1 at home; Kane becomes first player to net four hat-tricks in a debut Bundesliga season; Bayern move seven points behind Bundesliga leaders Bayer Leverkusen
Saturday 9 March 2024 18:18, UK
Harry Kane netted an historic hat-trick as Bayern Munich thrashed Mainz 8-1 at home to move seven points behind Bundesliga leaders Bayer Leverkusen.
The England captain became the first player to net four hat-tricks in a debut Bundesliga season, while his 30 league goals so far this term equalled Uwe Seeler's record for most goals in a debut Bundesliga campaign.
The ex-Tottenham striker also became the first player to score at least twice in eight different games in his first Bundesliga season.
Kane's hat-trick saw him tap in to give Bayern a 13th-minute lead before finishing a low shot just before half-time to restore Bayern's two-goal advantage.
The 30-year-old, who provided a wonderful assist for Jamal Musiala to fire in Bayern's fifth, headed in his third in the 70th minute to score the home side's seventh.
Leon Goretzka's double, Serge Gnabry's stunning backheeled aerial finish and Thomas Muller's goal helped Bayern hammer relegation-threatened Mainz to follow up Tuesday's win over Lazio, which booked Bayern's spot in the Champions League quarter-finals.
But Xabi Alonso's unbeaten Bayer Leverkusen have the chance to restore their 10-point lead at the top of the Bundesliga when they host Wolfsburg on Sunday, live on Sky Sports.
Kane's hat-trick made it five goals in the space of five days after he scored twice in midweek to help Bayern overturn a first-leg deficit against Lazio to advance to the last eight of the Champions League.
Kane took just 13 minutes to open the scoring on Saturday afternoon tapping in from close range from Musiala's cross.
England's record goal scorer then saw a header hit the post seven minutes later, which was rebounded in by Goretzka.
Mainz briefly cut the deficit through Nadiem Amiri's thunderous strike before Kane restored Bayern's two-goal lead in first-half stoppage time with a wonderful first touch to bring Goretzka's ball over the top down to then finish low past Mainz goalkeeper Robin Zentner.
Thomas Muller made it 4-1 just two minutes into the second half as Kane then produced an incredible assist for Musiala to score Bayern's fifth as he picked out the German with a fine cross-field pass which the 21-year-old buried into the bottom corner.
Substitute Gnabry scored the pick of Bayern's goals as he pulled off an audacious mid-air backheel flick through the goalkeeper's legs to make it 6-1.
Kane eventually completed his hat-trick in the 70th minute as he nodded in a rebound after Eric Dier's header was saved at a corner.
The hat-trick goal, which needed a VAR review to overturn the linesman's offside decision, means Kane now needs 11 goals to equal the Bundesliga season record of 41 goals by ex-Bayern forward Robert Lewandowski in 2020/21.
Goretzka scored Bayern's eighth in stoppage time to give Thomas Tuchel's hope of catching leaders Leverkusen.
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