Nigerian born Germany international Jamal Musiala was in killer form as his masterclass performance inspired Bayern Munich to a 3-0 victory over Hoffenheim as the champions closed the gap on leaders Bayer Leverkusen to just one point on Friday.
Bayern went into the winter break clinging onto the coattails of Xabi Alonso’s pacesetters but were able to take advantage of playing before their title rivals as the Bundesliga returned from its winter break on Friday night.
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After emotional tributes were paid to Franz Beckenbauer the former Bayern player and manager who died earlier this month – Thomas Tuchel’s side were quiet for an hour but did open the scoring when Musiala’s powerful effort from a tight angle somehow beat Hoffenheim goalkeeper Oliver Baumann.
Musiala then added a second after turning in Raphael Guerreiro’s low cross, before Grischa Promel was dismissed for a second yellow card.
That sending off ended the contest, meaning all that was left was for Harry Kane to fire in his 22nd goal in 16 Bundesliga games as his remarkable form continued.
The records have been tumbling since Kane moved to Bayern in the summer and he matched another milestone on Friday, equalling Robert Lewandowski’s record for the most goals scored in the first half of a Bundesliga season.
Kane still has one game in which to beat the total set by his predecessor as Bayern’s No 9, with the England captain and his team-mates hosting Union Berlin on Sunday January 21 in their 17th Bundesliga match.
The 30-year-old was determined to score his first goal of 2024, bombarding Baumann with seven shots before finally finding the net as the game moved into stoppage time.
Kane’s goal capped an emotional night for Bayern, with a series of tributes paid to the late Beckenbauer – who won 15 major honours as a player and manager in Munich – before kick-off.
That preceded a quiet first half that was enlivened by Musiala deceiving Baumann to score the opener, although the visiting ‘keeper redeemed his error by racing out to prevent Guerreiro scoring Bayern’s second.
The second half made up for the lack of entertainment provided during the opening period, with Musiala striking the post before Konrad Laimer and Alphonso Davies were denied in quick succession.
Bayern were seemingly poised to double their advantage but Manuel Neuer was suddenly forced into excellent saves from Maximilian Beier and Andrej Kramaric.
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Beier then clipped the bar as Hoffenheim threatened to rip up the script, only for Musiala to pop up again to calm the hosts’ nerves at the most opportune moment.
Promel’s sending off for a late tackle on Mathys Tel sucked the life out of Hoffenheim, before the inevitable Kane goal ensured a perfect start to 2024 for Tuchel and his players.