MUNICH: Harry Kane was denied a long-awaited trophy in his first game with Bayern Munich after his team lost 3-0 to Leipzig in the German Super Cup on Saturday.
On the same day he signed for Bayern, Kane came on as a substitute in the 64th minute to a roar from the crowd with his team trailing 2-0 but could do little to turn the game around.
Instead, Leipzig’s Dani Olmo put on a display of Kane-style clinical finishing to score a hat trick as Bayern’s defensive frailties from last season persisted. The Spain midfielder scored off a loose ball at a third-minute free kick, again with a moment of solo skill just before halftime, and completed his hat trick from the penalty spot shortly after Kane entered the game.
Bayern coach Thomas Tuchel told broadcaster Sky before the game that his new star signing was a “model professional” and “just needs to be Harry Kane” at Bayern.
Kane greeted the crowd during the pre-game warmups to enthusiastic applause. He has the No. 9 shirt at Bayern, the number previously worn by Robert Lewandowski and 1970s great Gerd Muller.
Instead of a show of Bayern’s dominance in Germany, Kane had to watch as Leipzig exposed the shortcomings in his new team.
Leipzig needed just three minutes to take the lead. A free kick from the left flank took a deflection off Leipzig’s Benjamin Henrichs, allowing Olmo the space to shoot past goalkeeper Sven Ulreich, who was playing in place of the still-injured Manuel Neuer.
Olmo made a slick turn to squeeze through a gap between Matthijs de Ligt and Konrad Laimer before scoring through Ulreich’s legs for his second. The third came from a penalty awarded for handball when Bayern right back Noussair Mazraoui raised his hand in the penalty area and Leipzig’s Nicolas Seiwald headed the ball into it.
Bayern still needs a goalkeeper to replace Neuer, the defense can be slow to react to developing threats and the 18-year-old forward Mathys Tel, starting ahead of Kane, missed some key chances.
Speaking to Sky after the game, Tuchel said the defeat was “inexplicable” after good preseason form in friendlies, “as if we’d done nothing for four weeks.”
Former Leipzig midfielder Laimer was the only one of Bayern’s new signings to make the starting 11, with Kim Min-jae sitting next to Kane on the bench. Tuchel said the South Korea defender needed more time to adapt to Bayern after joining from Serie A champion Napoli. Kim came on at halftime with Bayern already 2-0 down and blocked Benjamin Sesko’s shot late on to stop Leipzig extending its lead.
Dortmund beat part-timers
While Kane’s transfer was stealing the show in Munich, Bayern’s title rivals Borussia Dortmund started their season with a 6-1 win over fourth-tier Schott Mainz’s team of part-time players in the first round of the German Cup. Sébastien Haller scored twice for Dortmund and midfielder Marcel Sabitzer had a goal on his debut after signing from Bayern.
Bayer Leverkusen beat Teutonia Ottensen 8-0 in coach Xabi Alonso’s first game since extending his contract.
Two Bundesliga teams had upset losses. Werder Bremen was beaten 3-2 by third-tier Viktoria Cologne on an added-time goal after playing with 10 men following Amos Pieper’s 11th-minute red card, and Bochum lost on penalties to Arminia Bielefeld following a 2-2 draw.
Stuttgart beat Balingen 4-0 and Mainz won 1-0 against Elversberg.
Top-division teams cannot play each other in the first round of the German Cup and must play away at lower-division clubs. Bayern and Leipzig’s Super Cup commitments mean they won’t play their first-round German Cup games until late September.z
