FC Bayern made a strong statement right before the international break. After a string of recent wins that weren’t always convincing, the German record champions swept Union Berlin aside 7-0 at the Allianz Arena. For Harry Kane, this masterclass was exactly the performance the Munich team had been waiting for.
“We’ve been waiting for a game like this. We’ve won games, but we haven’t reached this level. It feels good to put on a performance like this before the international break, now that we won’t be playing for Bayern for three weeks. It feels good with this squad. Everyone’s here—Serge is back, too—and that’s important for us,” Kane explained in an interview with Sky after the match.
In fact, Bayern had struggled on several occasions in recent weeks. In the 0-0 draw against Schalke, Vincent Kompany’s team failed to score for the first time this season. Even in the 2-1 win at Elversberg, the record champions had to fight hard for the victory.
Against Union, Bayern showed a completely different side. Jamal Musiala opened the scoring, Kane scored a brace, Ismael Saibari found the net off the bench, and Michael Olise shone with three goals.
Kane is making Bundesliga history once again
It was also a special evening for Kane on a personal level. With his converted penalty kick to make it 2-0, the Englishman scored his 100th Bundesliga goal. Later, he followed that up with his 101st goal, a header.
Kane needed just 98 Bundesliga appearances to score his first 100 goals. In doing so, the Bayern star set a new record, significantly beating Dieter Müller’s previous mark. Even Gerd Müller had taken longer—102 games—to score his first 100 Bundesliga goals.
After the match, however, Kane himself focused primarily on his teammates and the club.
“I’m proud to have achieved this. I’ve enjoyed every second since I’ve been here. I can only thank the team and the club for their support.”
The 33-year-old’s statistics since his move to Munich remain exceptional. At the same time, what may be even more important to Kane is that, just before the extended break, Bayern once again displayed—for the first time this season—the dominance over 90 minutes that had characterized them last season.
Kane raves about hat-trick hero Olise
Alongside Kane, the standout performer of the evening was Michael Olise. The Frenchman scored the first hat trick of his club career against Union and was also involved in numerous dangerous Bayern attacks.
Kane took the opportunity to highlight more than just Olise’s soccering ability. The Englishman also offered a glimpse into how the often-reserved Frenchman is perceived within the team.
“He’s such a great guy. I know you don’t always see that from the outside, but everyone has their own way of playing soccer and their own way of carrying themselves off the field. Playing with Michael is just wonderful.”
The chemistry between Kane and Olise worked exceptionally well against Union. On the 4–0 goal, the Frenchman delivered a precise cross to the Englishman, who headed in his second goal of the evening.
For Bayern, the 7-0 victory was thus a perfect way to wrap up the first half of the season in more ways than one: Kane set yet another record, Olise shone with a hat trick, and Serge Gnabry marked his return as another attacking player.
Above all, however, according to Kane, the Munich team has finally returned to the level of play they’d been waiting for in recent weeks.