Bundesliga
Harry Kane powered Bayern Munich to a record Bundesliga start as they swept past Hoffenheim with a 4-1 win, Serge Gnabry scoring the fourth to maintain his own red-hot start to the season.
Hoffenheim 1-4 Bayern MunichGoals: 0-1 Kane 44' (assist: Karl), 0-2 Kane 48' (pen.), 0-3 Kane 77' (pen), 1-3 Coufal 82', 1-4 Gnabry 90'+9
League leaders Bayern arrived at the PreZero Arena with momentum firmly on their side, having won all three of their Bundesliga matches, scoring an impressive 14 goals along the way. The midweek UEFA Champions League victory over Chelsea had further boosted Vincent Kompany's side.
The hosts, meanwhile, had enjoyed a positive start to their campaign under Christian Ilzer, winning two of their opening three matches with returning striker Fisnik Asllani already notching three goals.
Despite Bayern seeing a lot of the ball in the first half, it was the hosts who created the first clear-cut opportunity when Asllani pounced on a risky pass from Manuel Neuer in the 13th minute, only to see his effort strike post.
The home side continued to ask questions of Bayern's defence, with Alexander Prass forcing a fine save from Neuer in the 35th minute. Making his first Bundesliga start, 17-year-old Lennart Karl impressed for Bayern, testing Oliver Baumann with a powerful drive from distance.
Just as Hoffenheim appeared to be heading into the break on top, Bayern struck. A well-worked corner routine saw Karl deliver a precise pass to Kane, who fired home first time to give the visitors the lead against the run of play in the 44th minute.
Bayern's advantage was doubled just three minutes after the restart when Albian Hajdari's handball gave Kane the chance to score from the spot. The England captain made no mistake, beating Baumann to make it 2-0.
With the second goal visibly deflating the hosts, Bayern gained greater control of proceedings. Kompany introduced fresh legs in the 62nd minute, with Joshua Kimmich, Gnabry and Michael Olise all entering the fray.
The latter would win Bayern's second penalty when he was fouled by Bernardo just inside the box, allowing Kane to complete his ninth Bundesliga hat-trick in the 77th minute with another confident finish from 12 yards.
Hoffenheim briefly rallied when Vladimir Coufal found the net with a deflected free-kick in the 82nd minute, but any hopes of a comeback were extinguished deep into stoppage time when Gnabry slotted home after Baumann had parried Kimmich's initial effort.
Kane's devastating hat-trick showcased exactly why he continues to be so highly-rated amongst the elite sides. Despite Hoffenheim creating several good chances, the England captain's clinical finishing ultimately decided the contest.
The hat-trick took him to eight Bundesliga goals for the season already, looking well set to eclipse his tally of 26 from 2024/25. His overall play was typically measured too, linking effectively with his teammates and helping Bayern take control after a challenging first half, and go on to establish a Bundesliga-best start to a season with four wins from four games and an 18-3 goal record.
Bundesliga Match Facts
xGoals: Hoffenheim 1.01 - Bayern 2.91
Fastest player: Dayot Upamecano (Bayern), 34.06 km/h
Lowest goal probability: 1-3 by Vladimir Coufal (Hoffenheim), 4.64 percent
Most pressed player: Luis Díaz (Bayern), 18 times under pressure
Pass efficiency: Bazoumana Toure (Hoffenheim), +4.22
Fantasy Heroes: Harry Kane (Bayern, 491 Points), Oliver Baumann (Hoffenheim, 231 Points), Bazoumana Toure (Hoffenheim, 203 Points)