Kane ends goal drought with hat trick as Bayern beats Stuttgart 4-0 in Bundesliga

BERLIN (AP) — Harry Kane ended his brief goal drought with a hat trick to help Bayern Munich beat Stuttgart 4-0 in the Bundesliga on Saturday.

“As a striker, sometimes there’s a lot of talk when you go a little spell without scoring,” Kane said. “That’s just part and parcel of being a striker. You can’t get too high or too low. I believe in myself and my ability. I believe in my teammates who create chances.”

Kane, who hadn’t scored in four games — three for Bayern and one for England — missed good chances before finally ending his barren spell with a shot from distance in the 57th minute.

Kane grabbed his second just four minutes later — after seeing another shot saved by Alexander Nübel — then missed another good chance before sealing his hat trick in the 80th with the rebound from a João Palhinha effort.

Palhinha had gone on early after Aleksandar Pavlovic went off with an apparent shoulder injury. It was the Portuguese midfielder’s fifth Bundesliga appearance, all but one as a substitute.

Kane’s three goals took his tally to eight for the season. Eintracht Frankfurt’s Omar Marmoush is the league top-scorer with nine.

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“Today three goals, but very important, he also helped us not concede,” Bayern coach Vincent Kompany said of Kane.

Substitute Kingsley Coman scored Bayern’s fourth with a fine curling shot inside the far post.

Frankfurt ‘speechless’ penalty not awarded

Florian Wirtz returned from injury to help Bayer Leverkusen defeat in-form Eintracht Frankfurt 2-1, but the visitor was aggrieved for not being awarded a penalty in stoppage time.

Hugo Ekitiké looked set to score by heading the ball into an unguarded net after a mix up between goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky and Jonathan Tah, but Tah rushed back to put the airborne Ekitiké off balance and miss the ball.

“I rate Felix (Brych) very highly as a referee, but I’m speechless today,” Frankfurt coach Dino Toppmöller said of Brych’s failure to award what would have been the third penalty of the game. “It’s a clear foul. The guys are dejected and angry in the locker room.”

Ekitiké went further.

“Foul. Red card. Penalty. I am alone. In front of the goal. It’s crazy,” the French forward told reporters in the mixed zone.

Frankfurt’s protests went unheeded and there was no VAR intervention. Victor Boniface’s 72nd-minute goal proved to be the winner for the defending champion.

Boniface had an early chance from the penalty spot but Kevin Trapp saved his poorly struck spot kick in the ninth minute.

Frankfurt’s Omar Marmoush showed how it’s done seven minutes later, firing a penalty inside the left post after a clumsy challenge from Robert Andrich. It was Marmoush’s ninth goal in seven Bundesliga games, and it stretched his six-game scoring run.

But Andrich atoned by equalizing in the 25th after playing a one-two with Amine Adli and then Martin Terrier before a cool finish inside the far post.

Boniface finally scored when Trapp deflected substitute Wirtz’s cross kindly for a simple header.

Leverkusen said on Tuesday that Wirtz injured his ankle while on international duty with Germany.

Also, Xavi Simons starred for Leipzig to beat Mainz 2-0 away, Freiburg routed Augsburg 3-1 at home, Borussia Mönchengladbach defeated Heidenheim 3-2, and Hoffenheim defeated winless Bochum 3-1.

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer