England captain Harry Kane delivered a devastating cameo from the substitutes' bench, scoring a brilliant hat-trick to propel Bayern Munich to a commanding 5-0 victory away at Stuttgart on Saturday.
Stalemate Broken by Super-Sub Kane
Despite leading through Konrad Laimer's 11th-minute strike, Bayern Munich were struggling to contain an aggressive Stuttgart side for large periods of the first half. The hosts saw a Nikolas Nartey header ruled out for a narrow offside and came agonisingly close on several other occasions, including a powerful Deniz Undav effort tipped over the bar just before the hour mark.
The game's complexion changed entirely with the introduction of Harry Kane in the 60th minute. The England skipper, perhaps rested ahead of Bayern's Champions League clash with Sporting on Tuesday, made an immediate impact.
A Clinical Treble Seals the Points
Kane needed just six minutes to open his account, firing a crisp, low drive into the net in the 66th minute to double Bayern's lead. The visitors' third arrived in fortuitous circumstances as Stuttgart goalkeeper Alexander Nübel fumbled a weak shot from substitute Josip Stanisic.
Stuttgart's misery was compounded in the 80th minute when Lorenz Assignon was sent off for a handball, conceding a penalty. Kane stepped up to calmly convert the spot-kick. The striker then completed his superb treble in the 88th minute, tapping home from a Michael Olise cutback.
Bundesliga Table Implications
Kane's trio of goals takes his Bundesliga tally to 17 for the season and was the catalyst for a scoreline that flattered the Bavarian giants. The comprehensive victory sends a strong message to their rivals, as Bayern Munich now sit on 37 points, opening up a provisional 11-point lead at the summit over RB Leipzig, who played later on Saturday.
The result leaves Stuttgart to reflect on a match where they were competitive for an hour but were ultimately dismantled by the clinical finishing of one of the world's premier strikers.
