Bayern salute ‘best transfer ever’ Kane after 21st German Cup triumph

BERLIN: Bayern Munich powerbroker Uli Hoeness called Harry Kane the “best transfer we’ve ever made” after the England captain’s hat-trick handed them a 3-0 victory over Stuttgart to win the German Cup final in Berlin on Saturday.

The hat-trick brought Kane’s goal tally to a stunning 61 in all competitions this season, while ending a six-year drought in the competition for the Bavarian giants.

Victory sealed a 14th league and cup double for Bayern and 21st cup success.

Hoeness is a former Bayern striker and long-time president who helped grow them into a European behemoth.

“Harry Kane is the best transfer we’ve ever made,” Hoeness told German TV, while confirming that the England captain would be at the club next season, despite reported interest from Barcelona.

“Bayern are a buying club not a selling club,” he added. “And Barcelona have no money anyway.”

Kane was beeming after Hoeness’s praise.

“To hear those kinds of words, at a club like this, we know how many great players have played here, it’s special,” he said.

“Going into this final, I felt like it was my responsibility as much as anyone to get us over the line.

“I know I’m going to get chances and I did again today. To score a hat-trick in a final is such a special feeling. It’s just memories I’ll remember forever.”

The England captain’s first strike was set up by Michael Olise from the right, who now boasts an incredible 30 assists in all competitions this season.

Left winger Luis Diaz helped create the second and Kane added a penalty in stoppage time to complete a second-half hat-trick.

The double once again highlighted Bayern’s insatiable dominance of German football.

No other German club has achieved the double more than once.

This was the third time that Stuttgart were forced to watch on as Bayern celebrated this season.

Bayern beat Stuttgart in the season-opening Super Cup and also secured the Bundesliga title with a big win over the Swabians in Munich in April.

– ‘BUSINESS AS USUAL’ –

“We played an outstanding season and we can be proud of ourselves. There are worse things than losing to Bayern,” Stuttgart forward Deniz Undav said to Sky.

Stuttgart sporting director Fabian Wohlgemuth told reporters: “In the end, it was Harry Kane three times – so business as usual.”

Coming into Saturday’s match, Bayern had already beaten their opponents three times this season with a combined goal tally of 11-3.

Yet Stuttgart edged the first half, frequently troubling Bayern on the counter.

Stuttgart’s Maximilian Mittelstaedt and Chris Fuehrich, both left out of Germany’s World Cup squad, were particularly impressive going forwards.

Kane’s only chance of the opening half came in the 21st minute when he headed a cross well over the bar.

Early in the second-half, Bayern made Stuttgart pay for their failure to convert their first-half chances when Olise set up Kane’s opener.

The France winger tore down the right and delivered a low-flying cross perfectly to Kane, who leapt forward and headed in from close range, making sure he had scored in each of Bayern’s six games in the competition this season.

Moments later, Bayern scuffed a golden chance to go two up when Konrad Laimer blasted a rebound well over the bar with Stuttgart’s Alexander Nuebel on the ground and the goal unguarded.

With 10 minutes remaining, Kane made sure of things, collecting a Diaz pass on the spin and blasting a low shot into the bottom corner.

Stuttgart’s Angelo Stiller handled in the box in stoppage time, bringing Kane to the spot. The striker converted nervelessly to complete an incredible season at the club.–AFP

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المصدر: New Straits Times