61 goals this season 

©IMAGO

Bayern Munich have won the DFB Pokal for the first time since 2020 with a decisive 3-0 victory over VfB Stuttgart. The Bavarian giants secured the title thanks to a Harry Kane hattrick (55’, 80’ & 90+2’) in front of a sold-out Olympiastadion in Berlin. Kane has now finished the club season with 61 goals, the most by a Bayern Munich player since Gerd Müller scored 66 goals in the 1972/73 season.

“I’m so happy. I’m so proud of the team,” Kane said after the game. “It’s been a tough season. A lot of effort has gone into it, and we wanted to finish with a performance like today’s. Winning 3-0 and playing the way we did is a credit to everyone. I’m so excited. I’m excited for the fans. It’s been too long since we held this cup.” Indeed, Bayern last won the German Cup in 2020. That year, the club secured a famous treble. But those games were also without fans because of the pandemic. Indeed, the last time Bayern triumphed in the German Cup with fans was in 2019.

It wasn’t without trying either. Bayern have always taken this competition very seriously, winning it 20 times before tonight. But over the last few years, Bayern have been knocked out in the early stages of the competition. It wasn’t the longest run without a title for Bayern. Two times, in the 1970s and 1980s, the club went 11 seasons without a cup win, and in the 1980s and 1990s, Bayern had another run of 10 seasons without a Pokal win. But not going to Berlin for the final, which in Germany caps off the domestic season as a massive standalone event, has visibly bothered the club’s decision-makers.

Bayern win the German Cup – Kane: “to score a hattrick in the final is special”

You could tell Kane loved the experience. “My first experience in Berlin,” Kane said with a massive smile on his face, holding the golden German Cup trophy. And it was Kane who got Bayern to the final. The striker scored ten goals in seven games. “Knockout games this year have been big,” Kane said. I’ve helped the team in many situations. They’ve been able to help me.” But Kane saved the best for the final. “Going into this final, I felt like it was my responsibility as much as anyone to get us over the line. I know I’m going to get chances, and I did again today. To score a hat-trick in a final is such a special feeling. It’s just memories I’ll remember forever.”