Harry Kane demolished Stuttgart with a brilliant hat-trick as the Bayern Munich striker silenced his critics after a flop show with England.
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Kane nets second-half hat-trickLooked unstoppable against a brittle defenceComan added a fourth Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱Getty Images SportTELL ME MORE
The Bavarians made a strong start to the match, dominating possession, but suffered an injury blow early on which forced Vincent Kompany to replace Aleksandar Pavlovic with Joao Palhinha. Nonetheless, the substitution hardly impacted their rhythm. Kane proved to be a constant menace for Stuttgart as he often found himself at the receiving end of crosses from the full-backs and also linked up with his strike-partner, Serge Gnabry, to frequently slice open the opposition defence.
Bayern's perseverance paid off in the second half, with their English striker finding the net twice in quick succession. Kimmich won back possession in midfield and passed on to Kane, who converted an audacious attempt from 25 yards to open the scoring. For the second he out-muscled two defenders to score from close range after being set up by a sleek flick from Thomas Muller.
Stuttgart tried to compose themselves and mount a comeback in the final quarter but defensive lapses did not help their cause. Jeff Chabot's half-hearted block fell kindly for Kane and the striker made no mistake in firing the ball home to complete a 23-minute hat-trick with just Nubel to beat and the goal gaping. Stuttgart's shoulders drooped after conceding the third and their night went from bad to worse as Kingsley Coman scored the fourth to finish the rout.
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Kompany's men lacked the final touch in the first half and in the second, Kane popped up with the exact medicine that the doctor had ordered. His first two quick-fire goals completely took the wind out of the sail of Stuttgart and the third was the final nail in the coffin. He faced flak from the English fans after a largely anonymous performance in Helsinki against Finland, but his hat trick on Saturday evening should be enough to silence his doubters.
THE BIG LOSER
Stuttgart's defence was shambolic and could have done much better in all four goals. They allowed Kane ample time and space to load and fire during the first goal, while for the second, two white shirts failed to match up with the striker. Overall, a night to forget for the backline.
WHAT COMES NEXT?
After a convincing win over Stuttgart in the Bundesliga, Bayern will shift their focus to the Champions League where they are slated to face Barcelona on Tuesday away from home.
