Bayern Munich continues to confirm predictions that it will have no major difficulties in confirming its favoritism and winning its second consecutive Bundesliga title. In a match valid for the fourth round this weekend, Harry Kane scored a hat-trick and allowed the Bavarians to inflict a merciless 4-1 defeat on Hoffenheim in an away game.
Despite the huge technical difference between the two teams, it is important to note that Hoffenheim at least demonstrated a different strategy and went on the attack against the Bavarians. The home side pressed hard and closed down the spaces in midfield, as well as taking advantage of vertical moves during offensive phases in the first half.
The most dangerous moment that justified Hoffenheim's good performance came in the 13th minute, when Fisnik Asllani pressed Manuel Neuer's clearance and had a golden opportunity to open the scoring, but ended up hitting the crossbar. However, Hoffenheim's inability to convert their offensive volume into goals proved fatal, and Bayern Munich needed only one big chance to open the scoring. Harry Kane received the ball unmarked at the edge of the box after a corner kick by Lennard Karl and found the back of the net.
Bayern Munich dominated the second half
Vincent Kompany was clearly unhappy with Bayern Munich's performance in the first half, and this prompted a change in approach, preventing Hoffenheim from mounting any offensive threat before the break. In the opening minutes of the second half, Harry Kane extended the lead after converting a penalty, sending the goalkeeper the wrong way.
This allowed Bayern to adopt their strategy of sitting back and waiting for their opponents to push forward so they could launch counterattacks, managing their advantage well. For the third goal, Olise ended up shooting quickly through the middle and was only stopped by another penalty, allowing Kane to score his 13th goal of the current season. Vladimir Coufal scored for the home side, taking advantage of a lapse in concentration by the Bundesliga leaders, but Bayern sealed their victory with a goal from Serge Gnabry.