Soccer Football - Bundesliga - Bayern Munich v 1. FSV Mainz 05 - Allianz Arena, Munich, Germany - March 9, 2024 Bayern Munich's Harry Kane celebrates scoring their seventh goal to complete his hat-trick with Serge Gnabry REUTERS/Michaela Stache
MUNICH, Germany (Reuters) -Harry Kane scored a hat-trick in Bayern Munich's 8-1 demolition of Mainz 05 on Saturday to set a Bundesliga record as the champions cut the gap on leaders Bayer Leverkusen to seven points.
Kane, who joined this season for a league record 100 million euros from Tottenham Hotspur, became the first player to score at least twice in eight different games in his first Bundesliga season.
He also equalled Uwe Seeler's record for most goals in a debut Bundesliga campaign by lifting his tally to 30.
"I trust him to do anything," Bayern coach Thomas Tuchel said when asked whether Kane could break the league record of 41 goals in one season.
"He is a great personality, a great role model. A top player. It is an absolute gift to be able to train him.
"It was the right decision to bring him here, he proves this week in week out," said Tuchel, who will leave at the end of the season.
The England captain also netted twice in Tuesday's 3-0 win over Lazio which took Bayern into the Champions League quarter-finals.
Bayern are on 57 points in second place in the standings ahead of Leverkusen's home game against VfL Wolfsburg on Sunday.
Kane opened his account in 13th minute, tapping in from close range with the Bavarians desperate to hang on to their slim title chances after a bad run with only one win in their last four league games.
They added another through Leon Goretzka after Kane's effort bounced off the post seven minutes later.
Mainz briefly cut the deficit with Nadiem Amiri's thundering free kick and the visitors were pushing hard for a second goal before Kane restored order in first-half stoppage time.
The hosts overran Mainz after the interval and Thomas Mueller completed a quick move to make it 4-1 in the 47th.
With the Mainz defence in complete disarray the hosts kept pouring forward and Jamal Musiala threaded a shot past the keeper before substitute Serge Gnabry's audacious mid-air backheel flick made it 6-1.
Kane completed his hat-trick from close range, nodding in on the rebound at the far post and Goretzka's stoppage-time header competed the rout.
(Reporting by Karolos Grohmann, editing by Ed Osmond)
