Harry Kane casually adjusted his hair, put on a big smile, celebrated with his teammates in front of the travelling Bayern fans, and finally gave a thumbs-up.
He had done it “on a cold, wet night in Stoke“ many times before. In England, Kane has basically scored everywhere already. Now, the 30-year-old proved he also has what it takes on a Friday evening in the pouring rain in Cologne.
It wasn't always pretty, and it required a lot of fight and discipline to collect the important three points in Cologne-Müngersdorf. But in the end a compact team performance and, of course, his goal after 20 minutes secured the 1-0 away win at 1. FC Köln.
Kane praises team
Kane's goal was his 18th after 12 league matches and set a new Bundesliga record, overtaking Gerd Müller's previous 17 goals in the first 12 games of the season. And that's not all. The previous record for fastest player to score 18 goals was set after 18 Bundesliga matches by Uwe Seeler nearly 60 years ago.
The goal itself wasn't his most spectacular. “It was probably one of the easier ones,“ commented Kane on the tap-in with a grin. “But I'll gladly take it.”
And Kane wouldn't be Kane if he didn't use the opportunity to heap praise on the entire team. “It was a fantastic performance by all,” he said, and it was obvious what he meant.
Bayern never left a doubt who was dominating the game. The initial high press of the home team was effectively neutralised and countered with interceptions, transitional plays and high-quality chances.
“We were very good with the ball and without. The attitude was first-class. The second half wasn't spectacular but I'm happy with it anyway, because we maintained control,“ summarised coach Thomas Tuchel, who, incidentally, chose not to substitute a single player. "Usually this wouldn't happen,“ he explained. The reason was the flow his team were in. No matter what the hosts tried to do, Bayern always seemed to have the right answer.
Tuchel explains lack of substitutions
The coach didn't want to risk interrupting the team's rhythm. “We were highly professional in the game, we had a lot of control and we were well positioned. Everything just fitted together well and so we pulled through until the end,“ Leon Goretzka concurred.
43 goals scored and only nine conceded is the champions' remarkable current record, illustrating just how compact of a unit Bayern Munich are this season. Against Köln, this compactness was key once more. Everyone in attack has internalised that defending starts at the very front.
Neither Kane, nor Leroy Sané or Kingsley Coman shy away from covering great distances to assist in defence. In addition, goalkeeper Manuel Neuer is becoming more and more secure with every game, thus adding to the overall stability.
Tuchel emphasises strength
The only slight negative in Cologne was Bayern's chance conversion. “Usually, it's our great strength to use our chances. Today, it was only a 1-0, so we had to remain concentrated. We were able to do that very well in the second half and that's why we deserved to win.“ Tuchel summarised.
Bayern face six matches before Christmas. First up are two home games (the Matchplan), in the Champions League on Wednesday against FC Copenhagen and on Saturday against Union Berlin in the Allianz Arena. The focus this weekend will be on regeneration.
Following the victory in Cologne, the players at least feel a certain amount of satisfaction. “We probably should have scored a few more goals, but we have the three points and that's what really matters.“ With his final words, Kane was once again accurate.
The post-match reaction:
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