Harry Kane's hat-trick guided Bayern Munich to a 4-0 victory over visiting Stuttgart on Saturday to snap their three-game winless run across all competitions.

Kane, who had missed a golden chance in front of goal in the 51st minute, broke the deadlock six minutes later, rifling in from outside the box.

The England captain, who had not scored in his previous two Bundesliga games, then drilled in following a goalmouth scramble on the hour.

He secured his hat-trick in the 80th minute with his eighth league goal of the season after Joao Palhinha's shot was blocked, with substitute Kingsley Coman curling in Bayern's fourth goal in the 89th.

The result keeps the Bavarians at the top of the standings on 17 points, with a better goal difference than RB Leipzig, who were 2-0 victors at Mainz earlier on Saturday.

Freiburg are third on 15 with champions Bayer Leverkusen in fourth, one point back after their 2-1 win over Eintracht Frankfurt.

Data Debrief: Goals galore for Kane and Bayern

This marked Kane's third hat-trick of the season for Bayern in all competitions. It brings his tally in the Bundesliga to eight goals this season, topping the charts at Bayern.

Bayern have scored in their last 14 games in the Bundesliga, their longest run of games with a goal in the competition since a run of 43 games from September 30, 2022 to January 12, 2024.

Bayern are also unbeaten in their seven games so far this season and have scored at least six more goals than any other team in the division (24, Leverkusen have 18).

Vincent Kompany was impressed with Bayern Munich's energy while Thomas Muller revelled in a "fun" victory over Ulm in the DFB-Pokal.

Kompany's first competitive match in charge of Bayern ended in a resounding 4-0 win on Friday.

Muller's first-half brace got the ball rolling for Bayern, with Kingsley Coman and Harry Kane coming off the bench to add some gloss to the scoreline as Ulm rarely showed a threat going the other way.

Bayern had 16 shots and accumulated 3.28 expected goals (xG) in a dominant performance that impressed their new coach.

"I'm happy. We started well and were 2-0 up early on," said Kompany, as reported by Bayern's website.

"I'm also very happy that we kept a clean sheet. Games like this aren't always easy.

"It wasn't always perfect, but we played with discipline, and 4-0 is good, now we're moving on. The important thing is that we show the right energy. That's the basis, it has to be there."

Muller's goals came inside the first 14 minutes. In his 708th competitive Bayern game, it is the earliest he has ever scored a double.

He said: "We wanted to implement a lot of what we have worked on in the last few weeks. It's fun, I feel good, I'm in good shape physically, I did my job, had a few good moves, I'm happy about that.

"If you look at how we work against the ball and the way we tackle, you can see a difference to what didn't do us so much good last year. I thought it was a good performance, even if there is still room for improvement with the ball."

Bayern Munich forward Kingsley Coman is set for a spell on the sidelines with an adductor muscle injury, which will rule him out of the Champions League quarter-final second leg against Arsenal.

Coman suffered the setback during Bayern’s 2-0 win over Koln, having been forced off five minutes into the second half.

The 27-year-old France forward is now set to face an unspecified period of recovery.

A statement from the Bundesliga club on Saturday evening read: “Kingsley Coman will be out of action for FC Bayern for several weeks after the forward suffered an injury in his right adductor muscle in the Bundesliga home game against Koln on Saturday.

“This was confirmed following an examination by FC Bayern’s medical department.

“Coman injured himself after a movement in the Koln penalty area with no intervention from an opponent and had to be substituted in the 50th minute.”

Bayern drew 2-2 with Arsenal in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final in London on Tuesday night, with the return match set for the Allianz Arena on April 17.

Harry Kane was denied a fairytale return to north London as Arsenal hit back to claim a 2-2 draw from an exhilarating Champions League quarter-final first leg with Bayern Munich.

Tottenham’s all-time record scorer claimed his 15th career goal in 20 appearances against the Gunners by converting a first-half penalty to put the German club on course for victory at a raucous Emirates Stadium.

But substitute Leandro Trossard left the tie perfectly poised ahead of next week’s return match with a 76th-minute equaliser after Bukayo Saka’s early opener was cancelled out by former Arsenal forward Serge Gnabry.

Six-time European champions Bayern almost snatched a 90th-minute winner when Kingsley Coman struck a post, while Saka was denied an added-time spot-kick following a challenge from Manuel Neuer in a breathless finale.

England captain Kane played the role of pantomime villain throughout and, aside from registering his 39th goal of a remarkable season, could have been sent off for swinging an elbow into the neck of Gabriel.

Amid an Islamic State terror threat, Bayern arrived in England on the cusp of relinquishing the Bundesliga title for the first time in 12 seasons having slipped 16 points adrift of runaway leaders Bayer Leverkusen.

The presence of ex-Tottenham pair Kane and Eric Dier, plus Gnabry, added extra intrigue to a mouthwatering match while the sold-out stadium was without travelling fans due to a UEFA sanction imposed for supporters throwing fireworks on to the pitch in Bayern’s last-16 win over Lazio.

Thomas Tuchel’s men were greeted by a deafening noise from the partisan crowd and the ground was rocking with just 12 minutes on the clock thanks to Saka’s magic.

The England international was freed inside Bayern’s area by Ben White following defensive dithering and duly produced a sumptuous first-time curling finish into the bottom left corner to spark jubilation in the stands.

White should have recreated those scenes when he squandered a golden chance by firing straight at fit-again Bayern goalkeeper Neuer after being slipped clear by Kai Havertz before the Gunners gifted their opponents an 18th-minute equaliser.

Gabriel sloppily conceded possession following a miscommunication with David Raya, culminating in Gnabry latching on to Leon Goretzka’s through-ball to finish through the legs of the Gunners keeper.

Arsenal came into this stage of the competition for the first time since 2010 on the back of four consecutive clean sheets.

But their usually reliable backline once again creaked in costly fashion with half an hour played as Kane delighted in silencing the terraces.

Leroy Sane’s mazy run from halfway was halted only by the dangled leg of William Saliba and, after Raya moved early, Kane coolly rolled the ball into the bottom right corner from 12 yards to further torment Spurs’ fiercest rivals.

Following the euphoria of the early breakthrough, Arsenal could easily have been two goals behind at the break as the last-ditch attempts of White and Martin Odegaard were required to deny Sane when clean through.

Arsenal returned to the field with renewed purpose but struggling to create.

Kane escaped with a booked after catching Gabriel before later seeing a long-range effort deflect wide as Bayern remained a threat on the break.

With time ticking away and a frustrating evening on the cards, Mikel Arteta’s Premier League leaders levelled.

Gabriel Jesus worked space inside Bayern’s box before teeing up fellow replacement Trossard to slot into the bottom left corner beyond Neuer and raise the decibel levels.

Bayern substitute Coman poked against the frame of the goal as a helter-skelter encounter threatened another twist before Swedish referee Glenn Nyberg was booed off for failing to punish Neuer’s potential trip on Saka.

Bayern Munich boss Thomas Tuchel insists his side will “give everything” to earn victory over fellow high-flyers Stuttgart in the Bundesliga on Sunday.

Munich bounced back from their humiliating 5-1 defeat to Eintracht Frankfurt with a 1-0 win over Manchester United in the Champions League on Tuesday thanks to a second-half strike from Kingsley Coman and Tuchel’s side will be looking to set the record straight in the league again.

Stuttgart sit just one place beneath Munich in the table and could leapfrog the German champions with victory at the Allianz Arena.

Tuchel thinks Sebastian Hoeness’ team deserve their lofty placing due to consistent performances.

He told a press conference: “They’re very consistent. Together they’re greater than the sum of their parts. They deserve to be up where they are. They’re very homogeneous, tactically very flexible.”

“It’s impressive how Stuttgart play. You can see Sebastian’s mark on the team. I think Stuttgart have had a consistent over performance, so there must be good unity between the team and the coach.

“It’s completely deserved, so we’ll give everything our greatest respect and recognise that.”

Coman and Noussair Mazraoui both featured at Old Trafford in midweek but picked up injuries and were subsequently substituted which will rule them out of the clash on Sunday.

The pair will join Serge Gnabry on the sidelines but Tuchel will be hoping to have top scorer Harry Kane in his ranks after an illness.

Tuchel continued: “We’ve got tough games. The fixture list is how it is, we know it beforehand.

“The two injuries on our right side hurt us. They were both in good form. King has had a very good season so far. Nous too.

“It came out of nowhere and hurts because both are important players.

“Harry Kane is a bit ill. We hope he can train again tomorrow. Jamal Musiala is fine.”

Bayern will be looking to extend their unbeaten run at home with a return to winning ways but Tuchel thinks his side need to be at their best to earn a result.

He added: “Everyone wants minutes. It’s even more important now we don’t have as much competition for places that the intrinsic motivation is high.

“We showed that at Old Trafford. It needs to be there again on Sunday. If we won’t match that with the same spirit as Stuttgart show every game, then we won’t win.”

Erik ten Hag told his Manchester United players to make sure they get straight back into the Champions League next season after a dismal European campaign ended in an early exit at the hands of Bayern Munich on Tuesday night.

Kingsley Coman’s 70th-minute goal, laid on by Harry Kane, gave the Germans a 1-0 win and ensured United finished bottom of Group A – beaten to second place by FC Copenhagen, operating on a fraction of their budget, and to third and the consolation of Europa League football by Galatasaray.

The final whistle was greeted with boos at Old Trafford, where United lost for the seventh time this season – having now lost more games in all competitions, 12, than they have won, 11.

Ten Hag’s side are out of Europe, out of the League Cup, and sixth in the Premier League going into Sunday’s visit to leaders Liverpool. Defeat also came at a cost, with both Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw picking up injuries before half-time.

“There are still many things to play for now, we can focus on the Premier League,” Ten Hag said.

“This is the level we want to play, the Champions League, so we have to give every effort to get into the top four so next year we are back in the Champions League – and of course there is the FA Cup so there are still many things to play for.”

In a match they needed to win, United mustered only one shot on target, a Shaw effort that never really troubled Manuel Neuer. A much better chance fell to Bruno Fernandes early in the second half but the captain blazed over.

Bayern, already assured of top spot in the group, barely needed to get out of second gear but Ten Hag insisted his side performed well.

“I think the game was like this, both sides had less chances but I think there was a good intensity from our side,” the Dutchman said.

“We brought Bayern out of their rhythm, the defending organisation we did quite well if not very well, especially the first part of second half. Also we had a very good chance from Bruno, so we had our moments but didn’t take them.”

Bayern boss Thomas Tuchel, who bounced back from Saturday’s 5-1 humbling away to Eintracht Frankfurt, admitted he had expected United to progress from Group A and had sympathy for Ten Hag’s position – pointing to United’s long list of absentees.

“I think you could see it’s not an easy time for them. I’m pretty sure he knows what to do next, how to influence his team and he doesn’t need any advice from me,” Tuchel said. “He is experienced enough to go through it.”

Kane set up Coman’s goal with a perfectly placed pass with the outside of his boot and the man United coveted for so long was a constant menace as he linked up Bayern’s attacking play and sent a late header narrowly wide.

“Harry is a difference maker, 100 per cent,” Tuchel said of the England captain. “His personality, his calmness.

“The team knows anything can happen any minute with Harry up front. He can always assist, he can always score.”

Former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand criticised some “kamikaze football” after their embarrassing exit from European competition.

A 1-0 defeat at home to Bayern Munich, their 15th goal conceded in six matches, ensured Erik ten Hag’s side finished bottom of Group A even without Copenhagen’s win over Galatasaray.

“To score three goals in each of their away games and not come away with much points it’s criminal. It is kamikaze football almost,” Ferdinand told TNT Sports.

“You get what you deserve. If you are not clinical and you can’t close matches out you don’t deserve to progress to the knockout phase.

“I think it’s the best worst-case scenario. I would rather Man United go out and concentrate on the league than go into the Europa League and exert themselves more.”

Ex-United midfielder Paul Scholes was disappointed with the team’s lack of a goal threat in a match they needed to win after scoring 12 times in their previous five matches.

“In some games they looked very good, they were getting leads in games, but they couldn’t manage to see the games out,” said Scholes.

“Tonight you never really felt Mancester United were going to score goals. It’s all about getting the balance right and it’s been a struggle from the off.”

Manchester United’s European campaign is over after Kingsley Coman fired already-qualified Bayern Munich to a victory that meant Erik ten Hag’s men finished bottom of their Champions League group.

A wild, error-strewn continental group stage left the Red Devils’ last-16 hopes hanging by a thread, with progress only possible if they beat the German champions at Old Trafford and Copenhagen and Galatasaray drew.

But the Danes’ victory and Coman’s finish from a smart Harry Kane pass in a 1-0 Bayern win saw toothless United’s hopes of a Champions League miracle go up in smoke as the curtain came down on Group A.

The loss also meant Ten Hag’s side missed out on the consolation prize of Europa League qualification, with this just the fourth time a Premier League side has finished bottom of their Champions League group.

United had restricted Thomas Tuchel’s men to half-chances during the opening period at Old Trafford, where the hosts’ injury list increased as Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw picked up issues just before the break.

The reshuffled backline looked far more solid than during Saturday’s 3-0 humiliation at home to Bournemouth but still could not stop Bayern from running out victorious.

Coman was a livewire throughout his time on the pitch and Kane, a long-term United target, brilliantly played him in to beat Andre Onana as the hosts bowed out of Europe before Christmas.

United mustered just one shot on target in a must-win match that is followed by Sunday’s Premier League trip to rivals Liverpool. There were boos at the final whistle once again.

France thrashed 10-man Gibraltar 14-0 in Nice for a record international win to close in on a top seed for Euro 2024.

Les Bleus had already qualified as winners of Group B, and showed no signs of letting up against Gibraltar – who scored an early own goal before defender Ethan Santos was shown a red card for a late tackle on 17-year-old debutant Warren Zaire-Emery.

Following the red card for Santos, who had put the ball in his own net after just three minutes, France were relentless, with Kylian Mbappe scoring a hat-trick, Kingsley Coman netting twice and substitute Olivier Giroud hitting a late brace.

Paris St Germain midfielder Zaire-Emery had set a new record as France’s youngest post-war debutant, aged 17 and 255 days.

France were soon on the offensive and raced into a 2-0 lead, both own goals, inside the first five minutes.

Jonathan Clauss got clear down the right and cut the ball back across the six-yard box where Santos stabbed it into his own net.

Before Gibraltar could regroup, they fell further behind.

As goalkeeper Dayle Coleing saved Antoine Griezmann’s shot, the rebound looked to have gone in off Aymen Mouelhi with Marcus Thuram close behind him. The Inter Milan forward was later credited with the goal.

France, aiming to seal their place as one of the five top seeds in Germany next summer, continued to press, with Mbappe firing over.

Zaire-Emery then clipped home a cross from Coman at the near post to become France’s second youngest international scorer after Maurice Gastiger in 1914.

The teenager took a blow to his ankle from Santos when tucking the ball home. English referee John Brooks was advised by VAR to take a review of the over-the-top challenge on the pitchside monitor, which resulted in a red card for the Gibraltar defender.

France were taking no risks with Zaire-Emery, who was swiftly substituted in the 20th minute and replaced by Youssouf Fofana.

On the half-hour mark, a VAR review saw France given a penalty for handball by Lee Casciaro. Mbappe knocked the spot-kick in off the post to make it 4-0.

It was relentless stuff from the hosts, who scored three more within as many minutes through Clauss’ powerful strike, then Coman knocked a loose ball in before Fofana drove a low shot under bewildered Gibraltar keeper Coleing.

Gibraltar made it to half-time without further damage and then held out through the hour mark despite soaking up plenty of pressure from France, who sensed the chance of a record win.

Adrien Rabiot shot home a loose ball in the 63rd minute, with Coman then getting his second for number nine.

Gibraltar’s heaviest loss was confirmed when substitute Ousmane Dembele added a 10th goal for France, who soon secured a record win when Mbappe knocked in an 11th from close range with 15 minutes left.

Olivier Giroud stepped off the bench to drill a low shot into the far corner – but after a lengthy VAR review and check of the monitor by the referee, the goal was ruled out for offside.

France, though, soon had a 12th when Mbappe clipped in a wonderful chip over a backpedalling Coleing from 30 yards to complete his hat-trick.

Giroud drilled the ball in after a chest down from Griezmann, which this time did count. The AC Milan forward swiftly rifled home another in stoppage time as France eclipsed Germany’s record European Championship qualifying win over San Marino in September 2006.

Harry Kane helped Bayern Munich to a 3-1 win at Galatasaray as they remained in firm control of Group A in the Champions League.

Bayern took an early lead through Kingsley Coman but after Mauro Icardi’s 30th-minute penalty brought the hosts level, they had to soak up considerable pressure in Istanbul before two goals in the last 20 minutes secured a 16th straight group-stage win.

Kane got the first in the 73rd minute and then teed up Jamal Musiala to add another soon after as Galatasaray’s 23-match unbeaten run was ended.

After Icardi spurned an early opportunity for the hosts, Coman silenced the home crowd eight minutes in when Bayern hit Galatasaray on the break.

Leroy Sane broke down the left, cut inside and spread the ball for Coman, who had space after Kazimcan Karatas over-committed and went to ground too early, to drill home.

Galatasaray responded well to the setback, pouring forward and creating chance after chance.

Sven Ulreich did well to turn Kerem Akturkoglu’s shot around the post but was then grateful to see the Turkey forward spurn a gift, firing over the crossbar after the Bayern goalkeeper cleared the ball straight to him.

Galatasaray were rewarded on the half-hour mark when Icardi was caught by a sliding Joshua Kimmich as he tried to connect with a low cross, with the referee immediately pointing to the spot.

Icardi, who missed from the spot against Manchester United, made no mistake this time with a cheeky chip down the middle once Ulreich had already committed.

The chances continued to come as Wilfried Zaha, Sacha Boey and Akturkoglu had shots blocked before half-time.

Just before the hour Lucas Torreira stooped to meet Dries Mertens’ free-kick at the front post but could only find the side-netting, and the former Arsenal midfielder then played in Icardi whose shot was again blocked.

Their failure to convert the chances they had created cost them as Bayern came forward late on.

Kane put them back in front with 17 minutes left. He tried to meet Musiala’s low cross from the right with a flick from his trailing leg but when that effort was blocked, the ball bounced up for him to prod home.

It was then Kane’s turn to set up Musiala, who rifled home a shot from the edge of the box.

Galatasaray seemed to know they were beaten and the intent they had shown for so much of the night was gone.

Instead it was Bayern who threatened to score again, with Fernando Muslera denying Sane before Eric Choupo-Moting headed narrowly over from a Kimmich corner.

The win extended Bayern’s perfect start to the campaign as they top the standings with nine points.

Harry Kane helped Bayern Munich maintain their unbeaten start with a 3-1 win at Mainz.

Kingsley Coman and Kane put ruthless Bayern 2-0 up inside 16 minutes before Anthony Caci pulled a goal back just before the break.

Leon Goretzka restored Bayern’s two-goal lead just before the hour and Bayern remain unbeaten and sit third in the Bundesliga, two points behind leaders Bayer Leverkusen.

Mainz are still looking for their first league win of the season and stay second bottom with just two points from eight games.

Kane, fresh from his brace in the 3-1 win over Italy which helped England qualify for Euro 2024, now has nine league goals in eight games.

Joshua Kimmich had fired a speculative effort off target before Bayern scored two quickfire goals.

After 11 minutes Coman was left free on the right to receive Leroy Sane’s ball and fire in a low shot from 15 yards after a rapid Bayern counter.

Three minutes later the hosts nearly levelled when Sven Ulreich denied Lee Jae-sung.

Kane had failed to score in Bayern’s previous two games, the Champions League win in Copenhagen and the 3-0 win over Freiburg earlier this month but grabbed a second five minutes later.

A short free-kick from Bayern was eventually tossed into the box and Kane headed in from close range after Goretzka had nodded the ball back from the byline to put Bayern in control.

Mainz had scored just six goals in their first seven games of the season but they grabbed a lifeline two minutes before the break when Caci beat Ulreich from a tight angle to get them back into the game.

Kimmich tried his luck just after the break and after 58 minutes Mainz were inches away when Danny da Costa teed up Stefan Bell to fire just wide – it was a miss which they paid for just a minute later.

The hosts failed to clear and Goretzka collected Jamal Musiala’s pass on the edge of the area to find the bottom corner to make it 3-1.

Bayern, chasing down Leverkusen who won 2-1 at Wolfsburg earlier on Saturday, took their foot off the pedal with the game won.

They travel to Galatasaray in the Champions League on Tuesday knowing victory, their third, would put them in charge of Group A.

Thomas Muller came off the bench for the final two minutes and Bayern ran down the clock for an ultimately comfortable victory.

Liam Kelly reflected on the “best moment” of his life after eventually making his Scotland debut in the 4-1 defeat by France in Lille on Tuesday night.

The 27-year-old Motherwell goalkeeper was first called up to the senior squad four years ago and had to patiently await his chance, which came when Steve Clarke rested number one Angus Gunn and started with Kelly before bringing on Hearts keeper and fellow debutant Zander Clark at the interval.

It was a sore night for the Scots however, despite taking an early lead through Billy Gilmour’s first goal in senior football.

France defender Benjamin Pavard scored twice with headers as a star-studded home side fought back.

Skipper Kylian Mbappe added a third from the spot before the break and substitute Kingsley Coman hammered a fourth past Clark in the 70th minute to seal a convincing friendly win for the superior hosts.

“The best moment of your life, isn’t it?” said Kelly when asked about his first appearance for his country.

“I played for every age group with Scotland up until now and I have been in a lot of squads along with big Zander so I was just delighted to get that moment eventually.

“I’m so grateful to the manager to get that chance and I am delighted for big Zander as well because we have been in this together from the start.

“During the game you can’t think about anything else or else you get punished, so maybe now and over the next few days it will start to sink in a wee bit but yes, the best moment of your life playing for your country.

“Me and Zander have been in the squad a long time, you take any chance you can get.

“As I said I am really grateful to the manager to give me that chance.

“He didn’t have to do it, he could have played big Angus again so I am over the moon and thankful he gave me that opportunity.

“I think I done OK in the game so it all went to plan, apart from the scoreline.”

Clark, 31, was similarly delighted to make his debut as replacement for long-time buddy Kelly.

He said: “As a kid you always dream of that moment and it was a great feeling and a special occasion as well.

“I am buzzing for Liam as well, I have known him since we were kids and a lot of hard work has gone into it.

“For us to get the first on the same night is a special moment.

“It was tough, they had stars all over the place.

“But we had good spells and a great finish by Billy and it was unfortunate to come away with such a heavy defeat but pleased with the effort we put in.”

Steve Clarke has told his Scotland players to “stop this run” of defeats next month after losing 4-1 to France in Lille.

The Scots went into the friendly knowing they had qualified for the 2024 European Championships after Spain beat Norway at the weekend to ensure a top-two finish in Group A.

Scotland had lost 2-0 to Spain last week on the back of a 3-1 loss to England at Hampden Park in the 150th Heritage Anniversary match and the French were even classier.

Clarke made eight changes from Seville – goalkeepers Liam Kelly and Zander Clark played a half each on their debuts.

Scotland stunned the home side when midfielder Billy Gilmour guided in the opener after 11 minutes – his first ever senior goal.

However, France defender Benjamin Pavard scored two headers, skipper Kylian Mbappe added a third from the spot before the break after a VAR intervention saw referee Tobias Stieler judge Scotland defender Liam Cooper had held Olivier Giroud and substitute Kingsley Coman hammered in a fourth.

After victory in their first five Euro qualifiers, Scotland have lost three in a row and Clarke wants to get that winning feeling back in the final two qualifiers against Georgia next month before the final game against Norway.

He said: “We can take away the memory of the qualification but we lost two games in the camp.

“We don’t like losing. I don’t want them to be comfortable losing or happy to lose.

“We spoke about that after the game. It is important we set our standards higher than that.

“We have lost three in a row now and I have asked them to make sure that when we got to Georgia that we stop this run.

“We want to finish on the same points as Spain so the target is to finish with 21 point which will make it a good campaign.”

Clarke, who was “happy” with his team selection, acknowledged the superiority of the home side.

He said: “I thought we started the game really well, the first 15 minute was good and we got ourselves in front.

“To concede a goal from a corner was disappointing because we know France can score from open play and we try not to give goals away from set plays.

“The third goal – I don’t think VAR should have got involved in the decision, it was soft and when the referee goes there he has to be strong to stick with his original decision.

“Both players were at it and that takes the game away from us.

“The second half was OK but France are always a threat with their pace and power and quality.

“So lots to learn, lots to improve. We know we are not at that level yet.

“It is level we are going to strive to get to and the harder we strive the better team we will be.”

After sealing qualification to Euro 2024 with a 2-1 win over the Netherlands on Friday, France boss Didier Deschamps was happy to finish the camp off with a convincing win

He said: “It was a very good week, When you win you are always happy.

“The most important thing was against the Netherlands on Friday night and the fact that we have shown so much quality tonight as well, it is a great satisfaction for us.

“We created lots of chances against a team that can defend pretty well and has a lot of qualities. So we are very happy.”

Scotland gave France an early fright before suffering a chastening 4-1 loss to their classy hosts in Lille.

The Scots went into the friendly knowing they had qualified for the 2024 European Championships at the weekend after Spain beat Norway to ensure Steve Clarke’s side a top-two finish in Group A.

Clarke took the opportunity to utilise his squad, giving a debut to Liam Kelly among eight changes from last week’s game in Seville and they stunned the home side when midfielder Billy Gilmour guided in the opener after 11 minutes – his first ever senior goal.

However, France defender Benjamin Pavard scored twice with headers by way of a rapid response and skipper Kylian Mbappe added a third from the spot before the break.

Substitute Kingsley Coman hammered in a fourth in the 70th minute to seal a commanding win for the superior home side.

After winning their first five Euro qualifiers, Scotland have lost three games in a row and Clarke will want to get that winning feeling back in the final two qualifiers against Georgia and Norway next month.

In addition to Kelly’s introduction to international football in The Decathlon Arena Stade Pierre Mauroy, Clarke also brought in defenders Nathan Patterson, Greg Taylor and Liam Cooper, midfielders Kenny McLean, Gilmour and Lewis Ferguson and striker Che Adams.

It was always going to be a tough test against Les Blues, who qualified comfortably for Euro 2024 by winning their first six qualifiers.

Boss Didier Deschamps also freshened his side up from the 2-1 win over the Netherlands last Friday.

Mbappe and Antoine Griezmann kept their places while Ousmane Dembele and all-time leading scorer Olivier Giroud came back into the side.

The kick-off was delayed for around 10 minutes due to the long queues at the stadium amid extra security measures put in place after two Swedish nationals were shot dead in Brussels the previous evening.

There was a minute’s silence before the game to commemorate that incident and it was a low-key start to the game on a pitch still showing markings from its use in the Rugby World Cup, before the Scots took an unexpected lead.

France defender Eduardo Camavinga cut out a pass from Gilmour inside the box but with a poor touch gave it straight back to the unmarked Brighton midfielder, who curled the ball low past goalkeeper Mike Maignan.

However, there was little time for the Tartan Army to enjoy the landmark goal as a Griezmann corner from the left five minutes later was all too easily glanced past Kelly by Inter Milan centre-back Pavard.

A refocused France side took control of the game and Mbappe skipped past Jack Hendry before crossing for Pavard again to head past Kelly from close range.

The visitors were struggling to get up the pitch and in the 40th minute France were awarded a penalty after referee Tobias Stieler went pitchside at the behest of VAR and judged Cooper had held Giroud inside the penalty area, with Mbappe stepping up to send the penalty past the diving Kelly, who got close but not close enough.

The Motherwell keeper did not look great moments later when he fumbled a shot from Dembele but the lurking Mbappe could not capitalise.

Hearts keeper Zander Clark replaced Kelly at the start of the second half to make his debut and Jacob Brown and John Souttar would take over from Adams and Cooper. Giroud and Dembele made way for Marcus Thuram and Coman and in the 70th minute the latter thrashed a shot high past Clark after Griezmann had volleyed against the bar.

A low drive from Brown in a rare Scotland attack was pushed past the post by Maignan and the corner came to nothing before Ryan Christie and Stuart Armstrong came on for Gilmour and McLean.

Thuram rattled Clark’s crossbar with a drive and at the other Maignan made saves from Armstrong’s volley and Brown’s header but the game was already well gone for Scotland.

In 2000, it was Bayer Leverkusen who suffered final-day heartbreak as Bayern Munich overhauled them to clinch one of their most dramatic Bundesliga title triumphs.

This time around, it was Borussia Dortmund's turn to lament the most galling of near misses, while their rivals lifted the Meisterschale following Jamal Musiala's late winner at Koln.

The most topsy-turvy title race in Europe's top-five leagues this campaign, therefore, ended in familiar fashion, with Bayern maintaining their stranglehold on the German crown.

After Bayern overcame a stern Dortmund challenge to win their 11th consecutive Bundesliga title, Stats Perform looks at the best facts and figures to emerge from their triumphant campaign.

The headline stats

There has never been much doubt regarding Bayern's status as the dominant force in Germany. Their latest title win represents their 33rd overall, and their 32nd since the Bundesliga was founded in 1963. Combined, all other clubs in Bundesliga history have 28.

Meanwhile, Bayern's current streak of 11 consecutive domestic titles is the longest such run in the history of Europe's top five leagues.

However, as the decision to dispense with Julian Nagelsmann's services and bring in Thomas Tuchel in March would suggest, this has not been a vintage campaign for Bayern.

Having edged out Dortmund on goal difference after both teams finished with 71 points, Bayern's class of 2022-23 collected the fewest points of any Bundesliga-winning team since 2009-10, when Die Roten were crowned champions with 70.

Bayern's tally of 21 victories this term was actually bettered by Dortmund (22), who became just the second team in the three-points-for-a-win era to boast the most wins in a Bundesliga season and not win the title (after Leverkusen in 1996-97).

Tuchel takes the prize

While Tuchel's Bayern did not get close to the incredible point tallies recorded under Jupp Heynckes, Pep Guardiola or Carlo Ancelotti, the new boss did enough, rallying his team to collect 12 from their final five matches and pip his former employers at the last.

Tuchel became only the second coach to take over a Bundesliga club during the second half of a season and lead them to the title, after the legendary Franz Beckenbauer did so with Bayern in 1993-94.

While Beckenbauer took the reins from matchday 21 of that campaign, Tuchel did so from matchday 26 this term, making it the latest managerial change from a Bundesliga-winning team.

Muller extends his record, Musiala the main man

Bayern's last-gasp triumph also ensured several key players kept up their own incredible records of domestic success.

While attacking stalwart Thomas Muller won a record-extending 12th German title, Kingsley Coman – who opened the scoring in Bayern's final-day win at Koln – preserved his record of finishing every season of his professional career as a domestic champion.

Having won Ligue 1 twice with Paris Saint-Germain and Serie A as a Juventus player in 2014-15, Coman has now lifted the Meisterschale eight times during his spell in Bavaria.

Those records, however, owe everything to Musiala's intervention against Koln, with the 20-year-old stepping off the bench to fire into the bottom-right corner as stoppage time loomed.

That strike was his 12th of the Bundesliga campaign, one more than he had managed in 57 combined appearances in the competition before this season.

It was a fitting way for Musiala to cap a season in which only Eintracht Frankfurt's Randal Kolo Muani (26) bettered his tally of 22 Bundesliga goal contributions.

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