Harry Kane crowns remarkable season in style

Harry Kane’s first touches of the ball in the DFB Cup final came deep in his own half. Much like Franz Beckenbauer in his day, playing as a libero, the Bayern striker collected the ball as the team built up play, attempting to create gaps with his movement and open up space with his long, pinpoint passes. Up front, however, the England captain was nowhere to be seen at first. By half-time, the striker had not managed a single shot on goal. It certainly looked as though it could be a night to forget for the 32-year-old, who had previously scored six of Bayern’s 11 goals across two Bundesliga wins and the Franz Beckenbauer Supercup triumph against Stuttgart this season.

3 goals in 42 minutes

It took Kane just 42 minutes to score his three goals – his 58th, 59th and 60th of the season – with only the legendary Gerd Müller having surpassed this incredible tally 55 years ago with 66 goals in the 1972/73 season. “This was definitely one of the best nights of my career. I was so looking forward to this final. I’d heard so much from all the players who’d experienced this final before with the club.” Kane himself said after the final whistle.

So much so that he has now added a major chapter of his own to this story. Kane went on to have five shots before the final whistle, three of which found the net, whilst one crashed back off the crossbar. “Harry has the character for these big games and the big moments. He’s shown what an outstanding player he is. His game is complete,” praised his coach Vincent Kompany.

Only Uwe Seeler for Hamburg in 1963, Roland Wohlfarth for Bayern in 1986 and Robert Lewandowski for Borussia Dortmund in 2012 had previously scored three goals in a DFB Cup final. And what a hat-trick it was. The opener was a magnificent diving header, the second a spin and finish into the corner. The third crowned it all with one final display of impressive composure from the penalty spot in added time.

‘He has that something special’

“I wanted to make the team proud; I wanted to make the fans proud. And to score a hat-trick in a final, it’s just such a special game and special feeling. I’m so proud of that,” Kane revealed. He simply has “that special something”, added board member for sport Max Eberl as he tried to explain the Kane phenomenon. “Today he decided the match – and he absolutely deserved it.” For Kane, it was the perfect end to a breathtaking season: “It was a long and hard season. Ending it like this is perfect,“ he concluded.