You would be forgiven for nodding off at some point during Bayern Munich’s Friday evening affair vs. FC Augsburg.
A cold night in Germany, a gentle snow floating down onto the Allianz, and nothing more than the stadium lights lighting up the field past the hour mark.
But with Harry Kane on the field…tune out with caution.
The Englishman hit two superb penalties to put his stamp on what had been a quiet game and lift Bayern into a commanding lead. Then, with near the last kick of the match, he truly took flight: assisting himself mid-air with an outstretched boot that made him the spitting image of the Bundesliga logo itself, and then heading home into an empty net past Augsburg keeper Nediljko Labrović.
Labrović, unlike the viewers, had no chance to switch off all night. Bayern teased and tested him throughout — but not always convincingly, and nothing came close to the sizzle he faced from Kane in these three moments of glory, two of which came as the game was drawing to a close (90+3’, 90+5’).
“We said at half time we should just keep going and create chances,” Kane said after the match, in typical understated fashion (as captured by @iMiaSanMia). “Thankfully we got the penalty and from there the game opened up. We have a big week ahead with PSG in the Champions League then Dortmund then Leverkusen in the cup. We’re in a good moment, we’re feeling good and should just keep the momentum up.”
A perfect German hat-trick — all in the same half, with no goals in between — is one way to do that. That it was Kane’s second such hat trick of the season for Bayern? Well. Get used to bearing witness to greatness.
The 31-year-old’s goals bounty pushed him on to 50 Bundesliga goals already since arriving in Bavaria last season. And — as noted on Bluesky by Bundesliga commentator Kevin Hatchard — the pace at which he has done this puts him seven games clear of Manchester City star Erling Haaland, whose 50 in 50 for Borussia Dortmund was, at its time, a head-turning achievement of its own.
With Kane in the fold, Bayern Munich is always ready to ignite. Will Robert Lewandowski’s single-season goals record be the next to fall? Kane is not on pace for that one so far this year — after chasing it last — but the season is still young…
