It was exactly 21:56 on Friday evening when Harry Kane wrote the next chapter in the great history book of the Bundesliga. Luis Díaz had danced past his markers in the Bremen penalty area, finishing with a double step-over, but the Colombian's shot was blocked. From there, the ball bounced to the person who loves the ball most: Harry Kane. He sent it uncompromisingly over the Werder goal line to make it 3-0 on what was overall a fairly uneventful Oktoberfest evening in Munich. It was the Englishman's 100th competitive goal for FC Bayern in just 104 competitive games – no other player from Europe's five major leagues has needed so few competitive games to reach this impressive milestone in this millennium. “100 goals in 104 games for Bayern Munich – to be honest, that's crazy even for me,” Kane later revealed: “It's an honour to reach 100 goals for this great club. Congratulations also to all the staff, my teammates, everyone who has helped me get to where I am. 100 goals so quickly – I'm really proud of that. But as I always say: it continues, on to the next 100. And hopefully as quickly as possible.”
Coach Kompany equally impressed
The head coach also praised the striker: “Anyone who scores so many goals and works so hard for the team at the same time is hugely important,” said Vincent Kompany: “It's not just about putting the ball in the net. For a coach, it's incredible to have such an all-round professional who is obsessed with scoring and performing week in, week out – and who is never satisfied with anything less than goals. It's the whole package that makes him so valuable.” The 32-year-old contributed two goals to the 4-0 (2-0) home win over SV Werder Bremen – 15 points and a goal difference of 22-3 are the best results from the first five games of a Bundesliga season overall.
FC Bayern prepared for Werder down to the last detail
In front of 75,000 spectators at the Allianz Arena, Werder proved to be an overall surprisingly harmless opponent, being shaken and rattled from the very first minute like a passenger on a roller coaster at the Oktoberfest. Record-breaker Kane alone could have made it 3-0 or even 4-0 in the first half hour – had it not been for Bremen's best player, goalkeeper Karl Hein, who repeatedly came to the rescue in dire situations. The Estonian national goalkeeper, on loan from Arsenal, had only been included in the visitors' starting line-up at short notice. “It was certainly a very special day for me and my family. Unfortunately, it doesn't feel good because we lost,” said the 23-year-old afterwards, but for a long time he kept Bremen in a very one-sided game with his saves, while the shot statistics climbed to ever more dizzying heights.
It took a bit of a fluke for the ball to find the back of the net the first time: Michael Olise's cross into the box following a deflected corner looked like someone had kicked a ball into the crowd at the Paulaner beer tent. Jonathan Tah's backheel ended up brazing Luis Díaz's knee and somehow found its way into the back of the net. By then, the overwhelmingly superior Bayern had already racked up 65 percent possession. The team appeared to have been meticulously and thoroughly prepared by their coaching staff for an opponent who sat deep and tried to catch the favourites off guard with long, fast, flat passes to their lone striker. But to no avail.
“A good day for Tom Bischof”
FC Bayern, in top form, took the wind out of their opponents' sails. In defensive midfield, Tom Bischof started alongside Leon Goretzka – the former making his full, starting-eleven Bundesliga debut – not only worked hard to close gaps, but also repeatedly provided strong impetus in attack. “It was a good day today for Tom Bischof with his first start. If we want to remain successful, we have to continue to be able to rely on everyone – otherwise it won't work,” Kompany said of his line-up. Joshua Kimmich, who was slightly ill, was initially rested during the week, but later made his 300th Bundesliga appearance, as did Goretzka.
When Marco Friedl slid in to clear the ball away from Harry Kane just five minutes before half-time, the match initially seemed to be cursed for the hitherto luckless striker. Kane then forced his own luck: after receiving the ball, Werder captain Friedl brought him down in the penalty area, and Kane converted the resulting penalty – his fourth in five league games this season – by sending the strong Hein the wrong way. Here, too, the striker made history: Kane has now converted all 18 of his Bundesliga penalties, which is an extended record in the German topflight; 18 penalties converted in a row is even a new Bundesliga record. He has converted three of them against Werder Bremen alone.
A dizzying half for Werder
The first half must have felt like three quarters of an hour on a wild roller coaster for the poor Bremen team: facing 13 shots on goal and having only one in comparison to Bayern’s 20 chances in the opponent's penalty area – the team from the north of Germany literally staggered into the dressing room. What followed in the second half was the striker's second goal at 21:56, which sealed the deal. Only Harry Kane, Serhou Guirassy in 2023/24 and Robert Lewandowski in 2019/20 have ever before scored ten goals in the first five matchdays of a Bundesliga season.
The match was now winding down like many of the rides at the Oktoberfest before closing for the evening. Head coach Vincent Kompany took advantage of the opportunity and his team's superiority to give Wisdom Mike a special gift for his 17th birthday, albeit three days late: the substitution marked the youngster's competitive debut.
But it was someone else who scored: Konrad Laimer made it 4-0 after a pass from Bischof – this goal was also special, as it was the Austrian's first for FC Bayern since mid-April, ending a drought of 15 competitive games without a goal. The final whistle was a relief for a battered Bremen side, who were reeling after conceding four goals and being outshone 8-26 in shots. “We deserved to lose,” admitted Werder captain Marco Friedl contritely. “At times we were struggling to breathe,” said Bremen coach Horst Steffen: “When we tried to attack, Bayern were immediately there with their counter-pressing. We were chasing the game a lot and couldn't defend everything.”
Before Vincent Kompany happily disappeared into the Munich night, he took the opportunity to make one last announcement: “We can become even stronger when everyone is fit,” said the head coach – and he says this after the eighth competitive win out of eight competitive games this season, mind you.
Read all the reaction to the match against SV Werder:
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