Harry Kane scored his first Bundesliga hat-trick as Bayern Munich thrashed VfL Bochum 7-0 on Saturday to move up to the top of the league standings.
Bayern have now 13 points and Bayer Leverkusen can be level on Sunday when they face promoted Heidenheim, but the Bavarians look set to retain the lead on goal difference thanks to the big win against Bochum.
Kane, meanwhile, has scored seven goals in his first five Bundesliga games for Bayern, bettering the record of Gerd Müller, Miroslav Klose and Mario Mandzukic (five goals each in five games).
"I'm delighted I can help the team with my goals. I'm happy and getting to know the team better and better. Today was a superb example of that. Hopefully I'll get a few more goals," Kane said.
Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting broke the deadlock with only four minutes played and Kane got his first in the 13th minute.
Matthijs de Ligt and Leroy Sané made it 4-0 still in the first half, before Kane scored in the 54th and in the 88th to complete his hat-trick. Mathys Tel also made it to the scoresheet in 81st.
Hoffenheim secured a place in the top four with a 2-0 win at Union Berlin, who made their Champions League debut on Wednesday with a 1-0 defeat at Real Madrid.
Elsewhere, Borussia Dortmund defeated VfL Wolfsburg 1-0, Timo Werner scored the winner in RB Leipzig's 1-0 at Borussia Mönchengladbach, and 10-man Augsburg claimed a 2-1 comeback win against Mainz.
"Victories are always very nice and always important. The last few weeks have been slightly turbulent for us. We might not have had goalscoring chances galore, but we were patient and imposed our game," Dortmund goalscorer Marco Reus said.
In the evening game, Werder Bremen came from behind to fight back for a 2-1 win against Cologne.
Bayern started showing their dominance early. Choupo-Moting had an effort denied by keeper Manuel Riemann in the first minute, but eventually tapped the ball into the net in the fourth.
Kane added a second with a first-time finish after Alphonso Davies made a fine run into the box, but lost the ball before he could shoot. Kane then split the Bochum defence with a superb assist to find Sané, who curled a fine finish into the net in the 38th, after De Ligt had finished off a corner in the 29th.
The England captain got his second after Bayern were awarded a penalty for a handball inside the box before assisting Tel in the 81st.
Kane's superb afternoon was complete after the video assistant review confirmed his hat-trick in the 88th.
"It feels very good, the attitude and approach were spot on. We didn't let up, that was important. It was a significant step forwards," Bayern coach Thomas Tuchel said.
Tuchel said that De Ligt was subbed off because he took a knock to his knee. The defender is to undergo further examinations.
Hat-trick scorer Kane will now celebrate the victory during Bayern's traditional visit to the Oktoberfest on Sunday.
"I've never been there before. I'm looking forward to it. It will be a good feeling to celebrate there after the win," he said.
Reus swept Julian Brandt's low cross into the net in the 68th to fire Dortmund into the top four, but they soon dropped out of the Champions League zone once Werner claimed three points for Leipzig against Gladbach in the 75th.
"It's an important win for us and Timo scored the decisive goal.
I think that should give him a boost. And it's also good for us as a team," Leipzig coach Marco Rose said.
Union Berlin fell to a third defeat of the season after their historic trip to the Santiago Bernabeu in the Champions League. Andrej Kramaric converted a penalty conceded by Leonardo Bonucci and Maximilian Beier sealed the win for Hoffenheim.
Freiburg visit Eintracht Frankfurt in the other Sunday game. VfB Stuttgart defeated Darmstadt 3-1 on Friday.
- Harry Kane
- Hat-trick
- Bundesliga
Source: www.dailyfinland.fi
