25th matchday
Bayern’s goal party delights injured Tuchel
Bayern’s Harry Kane (l) scored three goals in the win against Mainz. photo
© Sven Hoppe/dpa
In Bayern’s biggest win since October, Harry Kane shone as a triple goalscorer and provider. He sets the route for the season finale. A returnee score is also worth seeing.
“Hopefully this game is a kind of restart for the rest of the season,” said goal machine Kane. “Now we have to build on this performance in the coming weeks.”
After reaching the quarter-finals of the Champions League, the Munich team enjoyed a highly entertaining Bundesliga game in front of 75,000 spectators at the Allianz Arena. Apart from Kane (13th/45th+7/70th minute), Leon Goretzka (19th/90th+2), Thomas Müller (47th), Jamal Musiala (61st) and Serge Gnabry (66th) left Bayern -Fans cheer a lot. The remarkable free kick goal to make it 1:2 by Mainz’s Nadiem Amiri (31′) was almost lost in the flood of goals.
“In the end, these are the games that we love, that you want to play as a Bayern player. We stayed in our flow today,” said Goretzka. At least for one night, Munich came within seven points of leaders Bayer Leverkusen. “If Leverkusen wobbles again, then we have to be there.” Leverkusen hosts VfL Wolfsburg on Sunday.
Kane hits with his right, his left and his head
Tuchel couldn’t jump for joy with his broken big toe on his right foot “well wrapped and tightly packed”. The limping coach, who did without the fracture shoe from the previous day for at least the 90 minutes, enjoyed Kane’s next goal show even without jumping in celebration. Kane scored with his right, his left and his head. The super striker also prepared two goals. The assist for Musiala was “one of the most beautiful assists of his career,” said Kane.
The 100 million purchase from the summer now stands at 30 Bundesliga goals. Former Bayern star Robert Lewandowski’s 41-goal record is shaky this season. “There are still a few games left, so I want to add more goals,” said Kane. The English international became the first player in Bundesliga history to score eight multiples in his first season.
Goretzka for Tuchel “Player of the Match”
“It’s a gift to be able to coach him,” said Tuchel. “I trust Harry with everything. He does what he always does in his entire career. He scores, he is a role model, he is a great personality.” The coach, who left at the end of the season, described Goretzka as “player of the game”.
In a sometimes wild duel between the second-placed team and the second-to-last in the table, the Munich team uncharacteristically took the lead through a counterattack. “That was too naive,” said Mainz sports director Martin Schmidt about his team’s performance. There could have been ten goals conceded. In the fight to stay in the league, this defeat also hurts the goal difference.
To the Munich team’s delight, Gnabry, who had been injured for a long time, also joined the scorers’ circle when he returned to the Bundesliga. After preparatory work by Goretzka, the winger, who briefly got a taste of competition again in the 3-0 win against Rome, scored artistically. “Serge Gnabry scored a great goal, with an intuitive, unconventional finish,” praised Tuchel.