Harry Kane scored a hat-trick as Bayern Munich thumped Mainz 8-1 yesterday, equalling a 60-year-old record and keeping alive his team’s hopes of catching leaders Bayer Leverkusen. — AFP picMUNICH, March 10 — Harry Kane scored a hat-trick as Bayern Munich thumped Mainz 8-1 yesterday, equalling a 60-year-old record and keeping alive his team’s hopes of catching leaders Bayer Leverkusen.
Bayern are now seven points behind Xabi Alonso’s unbeaten Leverkusen, who host lowly Wolfsburg on Sunday. Thomas Mueller added a fourth early in the second-half to break Mainz’s resistance, allowing Bayern to run riot, with further goals to Musiala, Serge Gnabry, Kane and Goretzka to bring the tally to eight.Sporting director Martin Schmidt lamented his side’s openness, saying “we wanted to be courageous, but we were too courageous”.
Dortmund manager Edin Terzic pulled Malen, who has five goals in his past four games, in favour of Mats Hummels at the break, but the veteran defender was at fault when Bremen’s Justin Njinmah scored with 20 minutes remaining. Earlier on Saturday, Leipzig beat Darmstadt to rebound from a frustrating Champions League last 16 exit to Real Madrid on Wednesday.Marco Rose’s men added another through Christoph Baumgartner early in the second-half to seal the win as they continue their push for a top-four spot.