In a stunning display of firepower from the substitutes' bench, England captain Harry Kane scored three times to lead Bayern Munich to a crushing 5-0 victory over Stuttgart in the German Bundesliga on Saturday, December 6, 2025.
Kane's Cameo Steals the Show in Stuttgart
With his team playing a fifth match in just two weeks, Bayern manager Vincent Kompany opted to rest several key stars for the trip to Stuttgart. Goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, defender Jonathan Tah, and star striker Harry Kane all began the match as substitutes. Despite the rotated lineup, the Bavarian giants started strongly. After an early chance for Nicolas Jackson, midfielder Konrad Laimer broke the deadlock with a clever backheel finish in the 11th minute.
Stuttgart showed spirited resistance and thought they had equalized before halftime through a Nikolas Nartey header. However, after a lengthy Video Assistant Referee (VAR) review, the goal was disallowed for offside, leaving the hosts frustrated at the interval.
Second-Half Onslaught Seals the Deal
The complexion of the match changed entirely when Harry Kane entered the fray in the second half. The 32-year-old forward immediately made his presence felt, doubling Bayern's lead with a powerful strike from the edge of the penalty area. Defender Josip Stanisic then whipped in a third goal for the visitors with just 12 minutes of regular time remaining.
Kane wasn't finished. He added a fourth goal from the penalty spot after Lorenz Assignon was penalized for a goal-line handball. The Englishman then completed his remarkable 17-minute hat-trick with a simple tap-in late on, taking his tally to an impressive 17 Bundesliga goals for the season and 28 across all competitions.
Late Drama Across the Bundesliga
Saturday's action was filled with last-gasp excitement beyond the Bayern demolition. Christian Eriksen was instrumental in Wolfsburg's 3-1 win over Union Berlin, which ended a dismal 14-game winless run at home for his club. Patrick Wimmer and Mohamed Amoura scored brilliant first-half goals before Eriksen set up Lovro Majer after the break.
In a major shock, Augsburg, playing their first match after sacking coach Sandro Wagner, stunned Bayer Leverkusen with a 2-0 away victory. Dimitrios Giannoulis and Anton Kade scored the goals for the underdogs.
The drama continued as St. Pauli avoided a tenth consecutive defeat by snatching a 1-1 draw at Cologne. English striker Ricky-Jade Jones scored a late equalizer with his team's first shot of the entire match. Meanwhile, Heidenheim produced another incredible late show, scoring in the 94th minute through Stefan Schimmer to beat Freiburg 2-1, a week after scoring two injury-time goals against Union Berlin.
Bayern Munich's emphatic win, spearheaded by Kane's explosive substitute appearance, reinforces their status as title contenders, while the results elsewhere provided a dramatic twist to the Bundesliga narrative.
