Harry Kane Grabs Hat Trick In First ‘Klassiker’ Appearance As Bayern Munich Hammer Borussia Dortmund 4-0

Berlin: Harry Kane scored a hat trick in ‘der Klassiker’ as Bayern Munich beat Borussia Dortmund 4-0 away to deliver a big Bundesliga statement on Saturday. Bayern’s 10th consecutive league win over its old rival dealt Dortmund its first defeat of the season in the Bundesliga, and it banished any fears of a slump in form for Bayern following its own shock German Cup exit on Wednesday.

Bayern has now won its last 10 league games against Dortmund by a combined score of 33-11. It also lifted the 11-time defending champion five points clear of Dortmund after 10 rounds, two behind early season leader Bayer Leverkusen, which stayed top with a 3-2 win at Hoffenheim.

The Bavarian powerhouse got off to a great start with Dayot Upamecano heading in Leroy Sané’s corner in the fourth minute, five minutes before Sané set up Kane to make it 2-0 on a counterattack. Jamal Musiala should have made it 3-0 right after the break as Dortmund made another lackluster start, but the young Germany star fired straight at goalkeeper Gregor Kobel.

_______ Harry Kane after 10 matches in the Bundesliga:

__ 15 goals
__ 5 assists
_ 3 hat-tricks
__ 3 Player of the Match awards
_ 2 perfect 10 WS Ratings

_ An unprecedented start to life in Germany for the England captain! pic.twitter.com/ov3CRv7o9C — WhoScored.com (@WhoScored) November 4, 2023

Dortmund played with more urgency and Marco Reus had a good chance denied by Manuel Neuer, who was making just his third appearance of the season after recovering from a broken leg. “I had to wait a long time for the first ball to come,” Neuer said of Dortmund’s mostly harmless attack.

Bayern remained more likely to score. Kobel had to make two good saves to keep his team in the game before Kane finally sealed the result in the 72nd with his 14th goal of the season. He got No. 15 in stoppage time. “It's simply experience and all the processes and actions that he's been through in his career. Of course, he didn't leave that in England but brought it to the Bundesliga,” Neuer said. “We're so happy to have him in our team.”

Bayern was without the injured Matthijs de Ligt and suspended Joshua Kimmich, while Dortmund was missing injured captain Emre Can.

Bayer Leverkusen leads

Álex Grimaldo scored twice as Leverkusen stayed top with a hard-fought win against Hoffenheim. Xabi Alonso’s team had let a two-goal lead slip.

Florian Wirtz scored in the ninth minute after combining brilliantly with Victor Boniface, and Grimaldo added another with a fine strike from distance before the break. Then Hoffenheim’s Anton Stach pulled one back in the 56th after intercepting a poor pass from Leverkusen goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky, and Wout Weghorst equalized two minutes later after Maximilian Beier’s initial effort struck the post.

Grimaldo had the final say in the 70th when Boniface sent the ball back to him to unleash another fierce shot into the top corner.

Union Berlin loses again

Union Berlin slumped to its 12th consecutive defeat, a 3-0 loss at home to Eintracht Frankfurt, that deepens the crisis at the former overachiever. Union coach Urs Fischer could only watch helplessly as Omar Marmoush scored for Frankfurt in the second minute, then added another goal in the 14th.

Union’s bad luck continued as David Datro Fofana hit the crossbar in response.

Mario Götze set up Spanish teenager Nacho Ferri to seal the visitors’ win in the 82nd. It was Union’s eighth straight defeat in the league, after finishing fourth last season. Brothers Paxten and Brenden Aaronson played against each other briefly in their first Bundesliga game on opposite sides as the United States internationals made late substitute appearances. Paxten finished on the winning side.

Vincenzo Grifo scored a penalty in injury time for Freiburg to draw with Borussia Mönchengladbach 3-3. Jordan Pefok netted for Gladbach before going off injured. It was the American’s first Bundesliga goal of the season. Also, Cologne drew with Augsburg 1-1, and Mainz defeated Leipzig 2-0 in its first game since Bo Svensson quit as coach.