KIEL: Bayern Munich’s Harry Kane scored a hat-trick as they crushed promoted Holstein Kiel 6-1 away on Saturday to lead the Bundesliga after three matches with a maximum nine points.

It was a fourth straight win in all competitions this season under new coach Vincent Kompany and with Bayern eager to reclaim top spot after losing the title to Bayer Leverkusen last term.

Bayern are first on nine points, two clear of second-placed Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig in third.

“There are a lot of positives about our game at the moment,” Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer said afterwards. “We have that winning mentality back and we’ve started a run of form now.”

The Bavarians, who welcome Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League on Tuesday, enjoyed an explosive opening to the match, netting three times in the first 13 minutes as Kiel made a disastrous start peppered with defensive errors.

Jamal Musiala scored the fastest goal in Bunde­sliga history as he slotted home after just 15 seconds.

The hosts repeatedly failed to clear the ball in the first minute and England forward Kane doubled their lead six minutes later following a mistake by captain Lewis Holtby, whose pass was intercepted by Serge Gnabry.

It went from bad to worse for the hosts, as Musiala took advantage of another defensive error to deliver a cross that was eventually turned into his own net by Nicolai Remberg.

Kane scored his second just before the break, before substitute Michael Olise smashed in a rebound shortly after the hour mark.

Armin Gigovic’s header gave the home fans something to cheer about, but Bayern had the last word as Kane dispatched an injury-time penalty to seal his hat-trick and an emphatic Bayern victory.

He now has four goals from three matches as well as two assists.

“There was a difference in class today,” Holtby told Sky Germany. “It felt like they had an extra man out there, compliment to Bayern on a great performance.”

Despite the dominant performance Kompany said that it means little as they look to reclaim their dominance in the league.

“I have said that this is just three games. I know, I know, for Bayern it is always important (to be in top spot) but it is three games at the moment,” Kompany, in his first season in charge, told a press conference when asked about going top of the table.

“Today it was good and then Tuesday must be good again and then again and that’s the way it goes again,” Kompany said. “If we continue as we do now, maybe at the end of the season.... I don’t even want to say it. We just have to keep going.”

Meanwhile, defending champions Bayer Lever­kusen put their first defeat in 35 Bundesliga games behind them on Saturday when they thumped Hoff­enheim 4-1 with Victor Boniface bagging a brace.

The win will be a confidence-boost for Xavi Alonso’s Leverkusen, who start their Champions League campaign next Tuesday in Rotterdam against Feyenoord.

Frenchman Martin Terrier scored his first Bund­esliga goal to give the visitors a deserved lead, before Boniface danced around defenders to add a second while Mergim Berisha soon pulled one back.

Florian Wirtz converted a penalty before Boniface added a well-taken second. Hoffenheim goalkeeper Oliver Baumann, making his 464th Bundesliga appearance to draw level with German football legend Lothar Matthus, made a string of saves to keep the home side in the game.

Elsewhere, Leipzig couldn’t find a way past Uni­on Berlin as they played a goalless draw while Eintracht Frankfurt beat VfL Wolfsburg 2-1.

VfB Stuttgart recorded their first win of the season by beating Borussia Moenchengladbach 3-1 thanks to two goals in four second-half minutes from Ermedin Demirovic.

A brace from Junior Adamu helped Freiburg to a 2-1 win over Bochum, who had taken the lead with their first goal of the season.

Published in Dawn, September 16th, 2024