HARRY Kane scored a hat-trick as Bayern Munich thrashed Borussia Dortmund 4-0 away on Saturday, closing the gap with leaders Bayer Leverkusen to two points.
Bayern captain Manuel Neuer lauded his striker, telling German TV “that’s his experience, he brought it with him to the Bundesliga from England and he shows us it week after week.”
“We’ve got some quick guys up front and with them, we really hurt Dortmund.”
Stung by a midweek German Cup elimination by third-division Saarbruecken, Leverkusen’s 3-2 win at Hoffenheim on Saturday meant injury-hit Bayern were five points behind Xabi Alonso’s side at kickoff.
Bayern coach Thomas Tuchel said after the match “we had confidence because we have quality” despite the Cup defeat.
“We knew what we could do, and we had enough confidence to put a plan in place.”
Unbeaten at home for more than a year, Dortmund were shellshocked by the power of the supposedly weakened visiting side.
Billed as Germany’s equivalent to La Liga’s ‘el Clasico’ between Real Madrid and Barcelona, Bayern have not lost to Dortmund in the league since 2018.
Earlier on Saturday, goals in each half from Alex Grimaldo took Bayer Leverkusen to a 3-2 win at Hoffenheim.
Unbeaten Leverkusen, who have now won nine and drawn one in the league, made difficult work of the win, allowing Hoffenheim to score twice in two minutes to let a 2-0 lead slip.
The visitors re-took the lead thanks to a late Grimaldo goal.
“I gave Grimaldo a kiss,” said Leverkusen goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky, whose howler let Hoffenheim back in the game.
“Last year we would not have won this game.”
Florian Wirtz scored first after just nine minutes, tapping in a Victor Boniface assist, with Grimaldo scoring from a set piece just before half-time.
Elsewhere, Mainz won their first match of the season, shocking RB Leipzig 2-0 at home thanks to goals from Lee Jae-sung and Leandro Barriero, just days after sacking manager Bo Svensson.
Freiburg fought back from 3-1 down to draw 3-3 at home to Borussia Moenchengladbach, Italy midfielder Vincenzo scoring a penalty in the sixth minute of injury time to level the scores.
Cologne were held 1-1 at home to Augsburg, meaning Steffen Baumgart’s side will finish the match in last place.
