Thomas Tuchel insists Bayern Munich do not see it as job done in the Champions League despite having secured top spot in their group with two matches remaining.

Bayern host Copenhagen on Wednesday knowing progress to the knockout stage is assured but they want to maintain their momentum, as well as extend their proud record of having won 17 consecutive group games.

“It’s still a Champions League game,” Tuchel told a press conference when asked if he would rotate his squad.

“We are on a roll and we are having results and we don’t want to interrupt this phase because the management of workload is not too difficult. We now have a longer break from Friday to Wednesday.

“We are discussing it. We’re certain of being top in the group but we don’t want to send the signal that it’s not that important to us.

“If we make changes then it is in order to keep that bite, to keep that hunger high and to give players an opportunity that were patient, that were really pushing for their places.”

Bayern announced ahead of the game that veteran goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, who has made a strong comeback from a broken leg, and his understudy Sven Ulreich have both signed new one-year deals, keeping them at the club until June 2025.

Neuer, who joined the club from Schalke in 2011, said on fcbayern.com: “I’m happy to be staying at FC Bayern for another year. After my long injury, I’m back in full swing.

“It’s immense fun for me to be on the pitch with this team. I’m sure that, together with the fans, we can achieve our big goals in the coming years – and obviously the 2025 Champions League final in Munich is one of them.

“Knowing that I still have Sven by my side makes it even nicer.”

Tuchel was asked during his press conference about another long-serving Bayern stalwart, Thomas Muller, who has started only five games this season.

“He knows that he has the chance and he knows that I really rate him highly,” said Tuchel of the 34-year-old.

“He has my respect. Thomas is a playing legend at Bayern Munich. The players that play more really play very well at this time.

“Choupo (Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting) is a different type of player and we wanted to give him a chance. He is working hard to win games for us as well.

“Thomas should play from the start tomorrow. He’s obviously not happy, nobody’s happy at Bayern Munich when he’s sitting on the bench, but Thomas will be a special player.”

Copenhagen currently sit second in the group but are level on points with Galatasaray and only one ahead of Manchester United.

Harry Kane continued his record-breaking form by becoming the highest scoring Englishman in a single Bundesliga season with the winner in Bayern Munich’s 1-0 victory at struggling Cologne.

England captain Kane claimed his 18th goal of the season courtesy of a first-half tap-in to fire Bayern to the top of the table, above Bayer Leverkusen.

The 30-year-old striker’s remarkable tally is one more than Kevin Keegan managed for Hamburg in the 1978-79 campaign and the total Jadon Sancho registered for Borussia Dortmund in 2019-20.

His haul has come in just 12 league games since his big-money summer switch from Tottenham, while he has registered 22 goals in 17 outings in all competitions.

Thomas Tuchel’s side dominated proceedings against a team who remain second-bottom but squandered a host of chances to make the scoreline more emphatic, with Leroy Sane particularly culpable.

Unbeaten Bayern were back at RheinEnergieStadion for the first time since dramatically snatching the Bundesliga title from Dortmund on the final day of last season.

They began with purpose and were almost gifted an early lead when Cologne defender Timo Hubers inadvertently diverted the ball on to the outside of his own post with Kane waiting to pounce following fine work for Sane.

Former Manchester City forward Sane then failed to lift the ball over home goalkeeper Marvin Schwabe after being sent through on goal and later scuffed wastefully wide.

Kane’s decisive 20th-minute finish came between those golden chances.

He calmly slotted home on the rebound after Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting’s initial effort was blocked on the line by Julian Chabot to cap a swift Bayern counter-attack, started by Konrad Laimer’s interception.

Choupo-Moting almost doubled the lead two minutes later when he was denied by Schwabe.

Lowly Cologne, whose only win of the season was a 3-1 success over Borussia Monchengladbach on October 22, offered little from an attacking perspective in the opening period.

Visiting goalkeeper Manuel Neuer had to be alert to repel Rasmus Carstensen’s close-range header but the visitors were relatively untroubled.

For all of Bayern’s control, head coach Tuchel would have been eager to grab a second to secure the points.

However, chances were scant in a largely-forgettable second period which lacked tempo.

Sane saw a powerful effort blocked behind by Chabot, before Kingsley Coman headed against the crossbar from the resulting corner.

Bayern’s failure to kill off the game gave Cologne a glimmer of hope of snatching an unlikely draw going into the closing stages.

Yet the away side comfortably held on to move to the summit as the prolific Kane once again grabbed the headlines.

Bayern Munich head coach Thomas Tuchel is the latest high-profile manager to take issue with the football calendar after admitting his players are physically and mentally tired.

Tuchel’s mood has not been helped by the Bundesliga scheduling their fixture at Cologne for Friday night.

Pre-weekend matches in Germany are generally designed to help teams with Champions League fixtures the following week but coming immediately off the back of an international break does not appear to have done Bayern too many favours.

“People want to see the best players play football with joy and desire,” Tuchel told a press conference.

“The calendar is at the absolute limit, if not over it. The boys are tired. They’re mentally tired, they’re emotionally tired, they’re physically tired.

“There are two more Champions League games next year, there’s a tournament in the summer (Euro 2024), that’s just at the limit.”

Some of Tuchel’s internationals only arrived back in Munich on Thursday, just 24 hours before kick-off.

“It’s our second Friday match. Minjae Kim and Alphonso Davies are only back from their travels today,” he added.

“It’s very unfortunate scheduling, particularly in a sporting sense, but it shouldn’t be an excuse. I don’t want to go on about it.

“We’ve opted for a short trip on Friday morning so that the players can sleep at home. We want to win and we’ll prepare to do that.”

Tuchel will be without defender Matthijs de Ligt and forward Jamal Musiala while defender Raphael Guerreiro is a doubt with a minor problem.

“We’re looking closely at which internationals have had a big workload like Konrad Laimer, Minjae Kim or Alphonso Davies. We’ll decide late on the line-up for tomorrow,” said Tuchel.

Veteran forward Thomas Muller is in the final year of his contract and has seen reduced playing time this season but the 34-year-old has stressed he wants to continue playing next season.

Bayern are understood to want to keep Muller but they have yet to come to an agreement.

“We want him in the team. It’s clear he wants to keep playing. He’s a footballer through and through. Why shouldn’t he keep playing at the very highest level?” said Tuchel.

“I have a very positive impression of him. He’s in top shape and it’s all good. Thomas is a club icon, a living legend. He gets the maximum respect from us.”

Harry Kane continued his prolific start to life at Bayern Munich with a brace as the reigning Bundesliga champions held off a fightback from newcomers Heidenheim to claim a 4-2 victory.

Kane put Bayern in charge with two first-half goals – taking his tally to 21 in all competitions for the German giants – but the visitors threatened to stage a stunning upset as Tim Kleindienst and Jan-Niklas Beste struck within three minutes of each other after the break to draw level.

The drama continued as the hosts quickly regained their lead just minutes later through Raphael Guerreiro before Maxim Choupo-Moting’s header sealed victory for Thomas Tuchel’s men.

The three points sends Bayern top of the Bundesliga, one point ahead of Bayer Leverkusen who face Union Berlin on Sunday.

Bayern’s first chance came in the opening minutes following a Leroy Sane free-kick, which found Dayot Upamecano but the defender’s header flew wide and Sane went close himself just minutes later when his volley was blocked.

Kane’s impressive form continued as he put the hosts ahead in the 14th minute after Sane sprinted down the right flank to find the England captain in the box and he turned to fire into the corner.

Heidenheim had a chance to level moments later when Kleindienst smashed the ball wide and Sane nearly doubled the lead at the other end after being threaded through by Kane, but his effort flew wide.

Beste did well to cut in from the left but was unable to trouble the Bayern defence when his shot missed the target before Bouna Sarr had an excellent chance for the hosts saved by Kevin Muller.

Sane and Kane’s fantastic partnership struck again in the 44th minute as the winger’s corner picked out Kane in the box and he rose highest to head home into the top corner, earning his 17th league goal of the season.

Kane nearly claimed a third successive Bundesliga hat-trick in the 58th minute after Sane played him through but Muller did well to block the shot with his leg.

With Bayern seemingly well on course for victory, Heidenheim suddenly mounted a quick comeback with two goals in three minutes.

They pulled one back in the 67th minute on the break when Eren Dinkci picked out Kleindienst at the back post and he made no mistake this time.

The promoted side then equalised when a mistake from Bayern defender Kim Min-jae saw Beste pounce on a loose pass to fire over Manuel Neuer, but the frantic action continued as Bayern retook the lead two minutes later.

A brilliant cross by Konrad Laimer found Choupo-Moting and, although Muller reacted well to save his effort, Guerreiro raced onto the rebound to blast the ball into the bottom corner, scoring his first Bayern goal.

On the hunt for another treble, Kane fired over the bar before having an effort blocked but an unmarked Choupo-Moting put the game to bed in the 85th minute, nodding the ball into the bottom corner.

Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Inter Milan and Real Sociedad all booked their places in the knockout stages of the Champions League with two games to spare on a dramatic night of European action.

Bayern made it four wins out of four in Group A but only after a frantic finish in their 2-1 win over Galatasaray.

The visitors had the ball in the net just after the hour but Lucas Torreira was offside, and Bayern took the lead when Harry Kane flicked in Joshua Kimmich’s free-kick with 10 minutes to go, with the goal awarded following a VAR check after initially being ruled offside.

Kane then doubled the lead with his 25th career Champions League goal, turning in Mathys Tel’s cross in the 86th minute, and they needed the cushion as Cedric Bakambu scored for Galatasaray in stoppage time.

Despite defeat Galatasaray remain second in the group after Manchester United suffered a costly 4-3 defeat in Copenhagen, blowing a 2-0 lead after Marcus Rashford was sent off.

Rasmus Hojlund’s early brace against his former club put United in control despite the loss of Jonny Evans to injury, but the night changed when Rashford saw red for a challenge on Elias Jelert following a VAR intervention in the 42nd minute.

Ex-Southampton forward Mohamed Elyounoussi pulled one back before Diogo Goncalves levelled from the penalty spot after a Harry Maguire handball deep into first-half stoppage time.

Bruno Fernandes restored United’s lead with a 69th-minute penalty after Lukas Lerager handled, but the Copenhagen midfielder made amends with an 83rd minute equaliser before Roony Bardghji won it four minutes later, leaving United bottom of the group before their trip to Istanbul.

Real Madrid cruised through with a 3-0 win over Braga. They overcame an early scare when Alvaro Djalo missed a penalty for the visitors after Lucas Vazquez fouled Cristian Borja just four minutes in, but once Brahim Diaz put them in front in the 27th minute there was no looking back.

Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo added to the scoreline with two goals in five minutes early in the second half, and there was no way back for the visitors.

The other Group C game between Napoli and Union Berlin ended 1-1 as David Fofana’s first Union goal – and the club’s first away from home in the Champions League – cancelled out Matteo Politano’s opener.

Inter edged out RB Salzburg 1-0 in Austria to secure their progress, with the game decided by Lautaro Martinez’s 84th-minute penalty after Mads Bidstrup handled in the area.

And that result also saw Real Sociedad go through from Group D after their 3-1 win over Benfica earlier in the evening.

Early goals from Mikel Merino and Mikel Oyarzabal had Sociedad in control after just 11 minutes and it was 3-0 10 minutes later as Ander Barrenetxea fired into the roof of the net.

Brais Mendez hit the post with a penalty just before the half hour and Rafa Silva pulled one back for Benfica early in the second half, but Sociedad comfortably took the points.

Arsenal are in control of Group B after goals from Leandro Trossard and Bukayo Saka earned a 2-0 win over Sevilla.

The Gunners top the group with nine points, four clear of PSV Eindhoven and Lens, who are level on five after Luuk de Jong’s 12th-minute header was enough for 1-0 win over Lens, who had substitute Morgan Guilavogui sent off late on.

Harry Kane’s late brace earned Bayern Munich a spot in the last 16 of the Champions League after beating Galatasaray 2-1.

A frustrating first half saw Bayern have the better chances, with Kane and Leroy Sane testing Fernando Muslera, but Galatasaray began to grow into the game after the break and had a goal ruled out for offside.

The hosts earned their reward with Kane scoring twice in the final 10 minutes and they saw out the victory despite Cedric Bakambu’s stoppage-time strike.

Bayern progress to the knock-out stages having won all four of their matches in Group A so far, while defeat leaves Galatasaray third in the table.

Bayern had chances early on when Sane cut inside and had his attempted cross deflected out for a corner before Kane fired from outside of the box, but Muslera did well to tip the powerful strike over the crossbar.

The goalkeeper was called into action again, smothering Sane’s effort in a one-on-one and another Bayern attack saw the winger slice the ball wide.

A good move on the right flank saw Kingsley Coman cut inside to find Jamal Musiala, but his shot just whistled past the bottom left corner. Sane came close again, but was denied following pressure from Sacha Boey.

Bayern were forced into an early change when Musiala was taken off in the 40th minute through injury, with Thomas Muller coming on to replace him, before a rare break forward just before half-time resulted in Mauro Icardi being denied by Manuel Neuer.

The hosts had a great chance to take the lead seven minutes into the second half when a great cross from Coman was deflected by Leon Goretzka and Kane came flying in at the far post, but smashed the ball off the woodwork.

Substitute Baris Alper Yilmaz came close with his header going over the bar and the visitors had the ball in the net after Lucas Torreira poked home, but the goal was ruled offside.

Kane eventually broke the deadlock in the 80th minute after a great free-kick from Kimmich picked out the England captain, who rose highest to nod the ball home and despite initially being ruled out for offside, the goal stood following a VAR check.

He earned his second six minutes later after a brilliant move saw Muller thread the ball to Mathys Tel on the left and his low pass across goal allowed Kane to slot home his 19th Bayern goal on just his 15th club appearance.

Bayern nearly added a third when a neat ball from Serge Gnabry found Muller, but his shot trickled past a post.

The visitors pulled one back three minutes into stoppage time after an excellent pass from Sergio Oliveira picked out Bakambu, who made a great run cutting into the right and fired the ball into the bottom corner.

Bayern Munich boss Thomas Tuchel has backed Harry Kane to continue his remarkable start to life with the German giants.

The England captain scored his third hat-trick in Saturday’s 4-0 victory over Borussia Dortmund, taking his tally of Bundesliga goals to 15 from 10 games.

He has also scored twice in three Champions League group games and is set to lead the line again for Wednesday’s home clash with Galatasaray, with Bayern poised to book their spot in the knockout stages.

“You can’t rate it highly enough really,” Tuchel told reporters at a press conference. “It’s the first time that he changed clubs, he’s leaving his country to go into a new league, a new city, not only to him but for his family as well.

“I always knew what he’s able to do and I never really doubted that he would be able to score goals and assist goals, that he can do it on any pitch in the world, because he’s been doing it for more than 10 years.

“But still there are so many variables. If you work with him on a daily basis, his personality and his love for the game and the way he practises, he is a footballer at heart and it’s just great to see. And it’s going to stay that way. He’s at the right place now and it’s not the end yet.”

It is nearly three years since Bayern failed to win a group match in the Champions League, while they are unbeaten in their last 37 as they chase a 16th consecutive qualification.

Matthijs de Ligt and Raphael Guerreiro are set to sit out the clash but Dayot Upamecano and Leon Goretzka are in contention while veteran goalkeeper Manuel Neuer is set to make his return to the Champions League.

The 37-year-old spent 11 months on the sidelines after breaking his leg skiing but has played in the last three matches.

He said: “I’m very happy to have played my first games again and I’m happy that it came out all right. Obviously the body is reacting to it, which is completely normal after such a long and heavy injury.

“I can only say that I’m feeling very well before the games, and then after the games I have to go to the therapist again and take care of my body. But I’m looking forward to donning the Champions League jersey again.”

Tuchel hailed Neuer’s return, saying: “It’s sensational. We really didn’t know whether he would be ready for midweek games.

“He absolutely knows that it is a bonus at this time and if he stays that way then he will get to his old strength again, maybe even better. He has not reached his limit yet but these are incredible first steps.

“He gives us the stability, the calmness, he leads with his own way. He makes his fellow players better. To have this happen that quickly is really extraordinary.”

Jan Vertonghen believes his former Tottenham team-mate Harry Kane could be the "missing link" that helps Bayern Munich back to Champions League glory.

Kane has enjoyed a superb start to his career with the Bavarian giants, scoring his third hat-trick of the season in Saturday's 4-0 Klassiker win over Borussia Dortmund, taking his Bundesliga tally to 15 after 10 matches. No player has ever scored more than 13 in their first 10 games in the competition.

He is already just one goal behind the number the 2022-23 top scorers managed (Christopher Nkunku and Niclas Fullkrug – 16), while he is halfway to the record for the most goals scored in a debut Bundesliga season, currently held by Uwe Seeler (30) in the 1963-1964 campaign.

His record-breaking form is giving Bayern fans hope that he can lead them to a seventh Champions League title and their first since the 2019-20 campaign, and Vertonghen, who reached the final of that competition alongside Kane with Spurs in the 2018-19 season, believes the England international can be the man to return Bayern to European success.

Asked if Kane could be the final puzzle piece to a Bayern Champions League win, Vertonghen, an Athlete Partner for APEX, told Stats Perform: "For sure.

"There's not a lot of great number nines at the moment – that's why Barcelona paid the money for [Robert] Lewandowski, that's why Bayern Munich paid the money for Harry.

"The young number nines are very rare – you have [Erling] Haaland, Gabriel Jesus. A lot of teams are looking for them.

"Harry was there, he's fit, he's got a lot of good years ahead of him and for sure he could be the missing link there."

Kane's Spurs exit in August saw him end a 19-year association with the club, leaving as the club's record goalscorer, having found the net 280 times in 435 appearances in all competitions.

Despite Kane's departure, Spurs have started the season very well under new head coach Ange Postecoglou and will return to the Premier League summit if they can beat Chelsea at home on Monday.

Vertonghen feels Kane would not have taken the decision to leave Spurs lightly, saying: "On his side it wasn't a no brainer, because Tottenham is in his heart – he's a legend there, everyone loves him, born and raised in London. It wasn't easy for him to leave, Tottenham really wanted to keep him as well.

"But I understand why he did it. He plays now for one of the biggest clubs in Europe, he probably thought he had more chance of adding some silverware.

"It's a shame for Tottenham, it's a shame for Harry – especially now you see the way they're performing now, but nobody would have predicted that.

"Everyone at Spurs wants him to do well; he's a legend, a great guy and he never put a foot wrong for Tottenham. He never complained, even in the bad times, he was always there as a leader, so everyone just wants him to do well."

Harry Kane’s hugely impressive start to life at Bayern Munich continued as a hat-trick on his Der Klassiker debut sealed a 4-0 victory for the Bavarian giants at Borussia Dortmund.

Kane bagged his third treble in the Bundesliga in just his 10th match, taking his tally to 15 goals, as Bayern bounced back from their embarrassing German Cup exit to third division Saarbrucken in style.

Dayot Upamecano quietened the famously noisy Signal Iduna Park as Bayern made a fast start before Kane took centre stage, putting Bayern two goals to the good inside the opening 10 minutes.

The England captain then struck twice more in the second half to record a second successive hat-trick, having put three past Darmstadt last weekend while he did likewise against Bochum in September.

While Bayern sit two points adrift of league leaders Bayer Leverkusen, Kane’s display and his nerveless eye for goal was an emphatic statement in the defence of their crown.

After being rested in midweek, Kane was restored to Bayern’s starting XI alongside the likes of Leon Goretzka, Kingsley Coman and Upamecano, who gave the visitors an ideal start in the fourth minute.

Upamecano was filmed sharing a joke with Nico Schlotterbeck moments before the Frenchman got in front of his marker and headed into the net from close range from Leroy Sane’s teasing corner.

Bayern went two up in the ninth minute, with Kane bagging his 13th league goal in just his 10th match since swapping Tottenham for the Bavarian giants in the summer.

Kane put the finishing touch to a nice move which was started by Sane’s clever backheel before he collected the ball back and unselfishly squared for the England striker to tap into an empty net.

Goretzka tried an audacious overhead kick that missed the target and Bayern’s only setback of the first 45 minutes came just before half-time when Thomas Tuchel was booked for remonstrating with officials.

Dortmund almost ended a forgettable half – in which they struggled to contain their opponents – by pulling one back but Netherlands forward Donyell Malen angled his effort just over the crossbar.

Former Bayern defender Niklas Sule was introduced at the start of the second half in an attempt to shore up Dortmund’s defence, but they were soon on the back foot as Bayern again sprung out the traps.

Just seconds into the resumption, Kane’s pass played through Jamal Musiala, who was denied by the spreadeagled Dortmund goalkeeper Gregor Kobel.

Bayern had the ball in the net again soon after through Coman, but that was chalked off because Kane was offside in the build-up.

Dortmund were offering not much in the way of a threat but the long-serving Marco Reus, on his 400th appearance for the club, forced a fine save with a turn and shot parried away by Manuel Neuer.

Another Musiala effort was kept out and while he finally breached Kobel’s defences after tapping in from Kane’s pass, the goal was ruled out for offside.

Kane ended any faint hope of a Dortmund comeback by bagging Bayern’s third goal in the 72nd minute, collecting Coman’s low cross, taking a touch to compose himself then sending Kobel the wrong way.

Kane had his hat-trick in the third minute of added-on time after latching on to Aleksandar Pavlovic’s through ball and finishing brilliantly to put an emphatic stamp on Bayern’s victory.

Bayern Munich coach Thomas Tuchel insists no one is blaming each other for the shock German Cup exit to third division Saarbrucken but accepts it will take a while to process.

The Bundesliga champions head to Borussia Dortmund for Der Klassiker on Saturday and Tuchel admits their midweek embarrassment “doesn’t make everyday life any easier”.

“It takes some time to digest it. There is no reason to be resigned and point fingers at each other,” he said.

“We were obviously very disappointed. Nobody was shouting or blaming others. We were very disappointed because our goals were clear. We need to put it behind us.

“It is important that we stay together and keep calm. Criticism we have to endure. We know what we’re doing.”

Tuchel brushed off criticism aimed at him and his relationship with the squad.

“You can’t expect eulogies. You obviously get criticism. When you sign on at Bayern, you do so to compete for every title,” he added.

“We know where we are and that we want to be better. I take defeats very personally. We have to stand together and keep going.

“I’m part of a team and a great club. I’m a part of it when we win and a part of it when we lose.

“It’s all good with the internal relationship, otherwise we wouldn’t be capable of playing a season like we’re doing now.

“And a defeat, no matter how painful, won’t change that now. It’s about staying together.”

Tuchel has a number of selection problems to cope with as his second-placed side attempt to extend their two-point advantage over their long-term rivals, currently fourth.

A knee problem sustained by Matthijs de Ligt on Wednesday means he could be short at centre-back with Dayot Upamecano not match fit having not played for a month because of a hamstring injury.

Leon Goretzka is undergoing surgery on a broken hand a fortnight ago, while forward Thomas Muller is suspended.

Tuchel explained: “Despite the importance of the match it is not a Champions League semi-final. We’ve got to think about the season as a whole,” said the former Dortmund coach.

“There’s no thinking about bringing in other people right now. We’ll nurse Upa and hope that he’s back in action quickly. The loss of Matthijs de Ligt really hurts.”

Nevertheless, Dortmund coach Edin Terzic is wary of the threat Bayern still pose.

“I have rarely seen two bad games or two disappointing performances from Bayern in a row,” he said.

“Against us, their senses are always a little sharper than perhaps against one or two opponents in the Bundesliga. Now there’s probably a little bit of anger added to it.”

Bayern Munich defender Matthijs de Ligt is set for a spell on the sidelines with a knee problem suffered in the DFB-Pokal defeat by Saarbrucken.

The Dutch centre-back was forced off midway through the first half of Wednesday night’s second round cup tie against the third-tier outfit.

Following scans, Bayern announced De Ligt had suffered a partial ligament tear in his right knee, which could see him face a lengthy rehabilitation.

The Bundesliga champions said in a statement on the club’s official website: “Matthijs de Ligt sustained a partial tear of the ligament in his right knee joint in FC Bayern’s 2-1 DFB Cup defeat at FC Saarbrucken.

“That is the outcome of a scan carried out by the club’s medical department on Thursday. Centre-back de Ligt will therefore miss FC Bayern’s upcoming games.”

Thomas Tuchel’s men return to league action on Saturday when they head to rivals Borussia Dortmund for a first Der Klassiker meeting of the season.

Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham continued their stunning starts to life at their new clubs with multi-goal performances over the weekend.

Bellingham’s brace fired Real Madrid to victory over Barcelona in El Clasico while Kane hit a hat-trick in Bayern Munich’s 8-0 rout of Darmstadt in the Bundesliga.

Here, the PA news agency looks at the England duo’s season to date.

Goals galore

Kane kick-started the second-half scoring in Bayern’s wild win on Saturday, in a game which at half-time was goalless with Bayern playing with 10 men to Darmstadt’s nine.

His eventual treble, completed in the 88th minute and including one from his own half, sees him one ahead of Bellingham in the scoring stakes this season but the latter’s contribution on Saturday stands out as all the more impressive.

With Real trailing to Ilkay Gundogan’s early goal for Barca, Bellingham blasted a stunning 30-yard equaliser midway through the second half before popping up with a close-range volley in stoppage time to give his side the Clasico spoils and a four-point lead over their rivals in LaLiga.

It is the third time this season he has scored twice in a game, following the wins over Almeria and Osasuna, giving him a goal-a-game record in his first 13 games for the Spanish giants.

Kane, in the same number of matches, has 14 goals, including another hat-trick in a 7-0 win over Bochum and a brace against Augsburg.

Both men scored in England’s 3-1 win over Scotland, one of three appearances this season for the national team as they sat out the friendly with Australia. That gives Bellingham 14 goals in 16 games for club and country and Kane, who added a brace against Italy, 17 in 16.

Bellingham, of course, has produced those numbers from an attacking midfield position and while acclimatising to a more advanced role than he had been used to with former clubs Borussia Dortmund and Birmingham, or with England. Kane leads the line and has already benefitted from four penalties for Bayern and another against Italy.

Brits abroad

Kane and Bellingham are already on their way to establishing themselves among the most prolific English or British players overseas.

Gary Lineker scored 20 goals in his debut LaLiga season with Barcelona, and 52 in 138 games for the club across three seasons in all competitions.

Michael Owen netted 16 times in his one season at Real, where David Beckham won a league title in his fourth and final season and Steve McManaman won two Champions Leagues, scoring in the 2000 final.

Wales’ record scorer Gareth Bale was another British star to ply his trade at the Bernabeu and scored over 100 goals for Real, with nine in his first 13 games – while often operating from the bench – setting up a tally of 22 in his debut season.

Kevin Keegan scored 12 in his first season at Hamburg in 1977-78, a total already surpassed by Kane and Bellingham, while Wales forward Mark Hughes managed only five goals alongside Lineker at Barca and seven in a season on loan at Bayern. Mark Hateley’s most prolific seasons at AC Milan and Monaco brought 11 and 14 goals respectively.

Jadon Sancho, a team-mate of Bellingham at Dortmund, took time to establish himself after moving from Manchester City’s youth academy. He did scored 13 goals in his first season as a regular starter, though eight of those came from December onwards. Tammy Abraham got 27 in his first season at Roma, albeit with nine in the unheralded Europa Conference League.

Bellingham himself scored only 12 league goals in three years with Dortmund – he is only two away from that already with Real, and more than halfway to his 24 in all competitions for the German side.

Harry Kane scored his second hat-trick of the Bundesliga season – including one from his own half – as 10-man Bayern Munich bounced back from a goalless first 45 minutes to beat nine-man Darmstadt 8-0 on a wild afternoon at the Allianz Arena.

Joshua Kimmich was sent off after just four minutes, but red cards for Klaus Gjasula and Matej Maglica ensured the hosts had the man advantage at the break, the first time three men have ever been sent off in the first half of a German top-flight encounter.

Kane broke the deadlock six minutes after the restart but it was his second goal, a magnificent effort from inside his own half, that was the highlight of a contest that also saw him pick up an assist on the first of two goals for Jamal Musiala before striking in his 12th goal from nine matches of this still-new Bundesliga season.

Leroy Sane, who set up Kane’s third, scored two of his own while Thomas Muller also contributed to the heaviest defeat in the visitors’ history.

Things got off to a dramatic start when Kimmich brought down Marvin Mehlem at the edge of the area and was shown a straight red, deemed to have prevented the visitors from a clear goal-scoring opportunity after just four minutes.

Bayern were initially awarded a penalty after Gjasula was judged to have tripped Konrad Laimer, but on review referee Martin Petersen overturned his decision, determining Gjasula was the last man and the incident occurred outside the penalty area – resulting in the Albanian’s 21st-minute dismissal and a free-kick for the hosts.

Darmstadt were holding their own against the Bundesliga title-holders in the 10-v-10, even holding the shot advantage through the first 37 minutes, but became the architects of their own undoing when Maglica caught up with Kane in nearly the exact same spot as the previous red-card incident.

The outcome was also the same though the visitors, down to nine men, were able to sustain the deadlock to half-time despite threats from Kane and Sane, who had a  goal chalked off for offside.

It was a different story after the restart when Kane broke the deadlock with a diving header to open the scoring six minutes into the second half, five minutes before Sane tapped home Laimer’s cross from six yards.

Then it was Musiala’s turn, extending to the advantage to 3-0 with an assist from Kane and throwing open the floodgates in the process as Sane bagged his brace with an 18-yard strike past Schuhen four minutes later.

Then came Kane’s piece de resistance, a world-class strike from just beyond the halfway line, sending Marcel Schuhen on a futile scramble as he watched the ball touch down in the back of his net.

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Muller made it six with his first goal of the season before Musiala slotted past Schuhen for Bayern’s seventh, and while the Darmstadt keeper made a few good saves, desperate not to see his side lose by double-digits, he could not keep out Kane.

The England captain, hungry for more, latched into a perfect pass from Sane to complete his hat-trick and relentless Bayern’s second-half rout.

Bayern Munich boss Thomas Tuchel has no doubts goalkeeper Manuel Neuer will return stronger as he prepares for a first game in almost a year after breaking his leg while skiing.

Neuer has been out of action since December 2022 following surgery on a lower leg fracture.

After stepping up his rehabilitation, the German World Cup winner is in line to make a comeback against Darmstadt on Saturday and should then be in line for Der Klassiker next weekend.

Tuchel feels Neuer, 37, will not need much reintegration as he takes over from Sven Ulreich between the posts.

“As long as nothing happens today, he’ll play tomorrow. He’s excited, we’re excited. There’s probably a lot of other people excited about it too,” Tuchel said.

“It’s a special situation. I can feel his excitement and his class. He’s got great experience. He’s enjoying things right now and he can he proud of himself.

“He should enjoy it, and that will make him strong. There will be some tension. Now we hope that he can quickly find his rhythm and things are all good.

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“His comeback is very impressive. I notice the difference in his condition. Our whole recovery and physio department and he can be proud.

“I’m almost proud of the fact he’s come back. It’s all far more than a given. I’m very confident he’ll quickly reach his top form.”

Tuchel told a press conference: “I don’t feel he’s tensed up. I think he’ll show everyone again, but there’s some joy in him that he’s done it.

“I see a whole new level in goalkeeper training. He’s in his own league. He should see it as a gift for his work. We trust his experience and intuition.

“He has been match fit for a few weeks, now he is going to get playing time, but he can compensate for it all with his experience.”

Neuer will also have an eye on making it into Germany’s squad for next summer’s Euro 2024 tournament on home soil.

“If Manu remains free from injury until the Euros and takes all his experience, then I don’t think we’ll be asking this question in May,” Tuchel said. “But the most important thing now is that he stays fit and can keep playing.”

Bayern host Darmstadt on the back of a 12-match unbeaten run, which saw them win 3-1 away to Galatasaray in the Champions League on Tuesday might.

With Bayer Leverkusen two points clear of them at the top of the Bundesliga, Tuchel knows there can be no room for complacency from his side against Darmstadt, who have lost five of their eight games back in the top flight.

“I can imagine they will want to surprise us,” Tuchel said. “They are dangerous out wide, have settled in at this level.

“Darmstadt sometimes defend very high, very aggressively, man to man, but sometimes they also defend deep with a back five.

“But we will be ready and will give everything to win the game.”

Darmstadt coach Torsten Lieberknecht is relishing the challenge of a trip to the Allianz Arena.

“We have worked hard for this Bundesliga game, that is why we feel anticipation,” Lieberknecht told a press conference.

“Everyone knows that it is not an easy opponent we face on Saturday. Nevertheless, we want to present ourselves well as a team.

“We know that we will definitely be busy defensively. We prepare the boys so that they can show their best performance on the pitch.”

England captain Harry Kane helped Bayern Munich strengthen their grip on Group A in the Champions League as he scored in a 3-1 win at Galatasaray.

Kane scored his 11th goal in 13 games for the German side as he put them 2-1 up after Kingsley Coman’s early opener was cancelled out by Mauro Icardi’s penalty.

The 30-year-old tapped home from close range in the 73rd minute and then Jamal Musiala made the game safe six minutes later to all-but seal qualification for the knockout stages.

Manchester United gave themselves a lifeline with a 1-0 win over Copenhagen in their first home match since the death of Sir Bobby Charlton.

Harry Maguire’s second-half header put them in front, but goalkeeper Andre Onana was the hero as he saved Jordan Larsson’s injury-time penalty.

Jude Bellingham’s electric start to life at Real Madrid continued as he scored in a 2-1 Champions League win at Braga.

The precocious England international scored his 11th goal in 12 games for his new club as Madrid took control of Group C, making it three wins out of three.

Rodrygo put Madrid ahead in the first half before Bellingham doubled the lead on the hour, with Alvaro Djalo getting the Portuguese side back in it.

Giacomo Raspadori’s goal for Napoli kept them on course for qualification as they beat Union Berlin 1-0.

Inter Milan extended their unbeaten start in Champions League Group D with a 2-1 win over Red Bull Salzburg at San Siro.

Oscar Gloukh gave the Austrians hope when he cancelled out an opener from Alexis Sanchez but Hakan Calhanoglu’s second-half penalty extended the fine form of Simone Inzaghi’s side.

Brais Mendez’s 63rd-minute strike earned Real Sociedad a 1-0 win at Benfica.

Gabriel Jesus continued his love affair with the Champions League with a fine goal and assist as he led Arsenal to victory over Sevilla.

The Brazil forward may not boast the most prolific strike record but he has now scored an impressive 23 goals in 41 appearances in Europe’s elite club competition and he was the difference as the Gunners won 2-1.

A piece of magic from Jesus set up compatriot Gabriel Martinelli to open the scoring on the stroke of half-time before he doubled the lead with a fine, curling finish of his own – although he later limped off having moments earlier held his hamstring.

A thunderous Nemanja Gudelj header reduced the arrears on the hour but Mikel Arteta’s side saw out the closing stages to secure victory, moving top of Group B in the process.

Arsenal’s chances were improved by Lens and PSV drawing in the other Group B game.