BERLIN (AP) 鈥� Harry Kane cut through the smoke of the German Cup final with a hat trick for Bayern Munich to beat defending champion Stuttgart 3-0 and complete another domestic double on Saturday.
Kane鈥檚 goals in the second half set off fireworks among the Bayern fans who had joined their Stuttgart rivals in protesting against the German soccer federation (DFB) for a planned increase in security measures.
The protests started after the halftime break when the Bayern fans displayed a giant DFB logo with a line drawn through it over a banner with an expletive against the DFB, while their Stuttgart counterparts had a banner calling for 鈥渇reedom for the terraces.鈥� They both then filled the ends of the stadium with huge pyrotechnic displays, shrouding the field under a cover of smoke.
Kane broke the deadlock shortly afterward with a diving header to Michael Olise鈥檚 cross in the 55th minute.
That prompted more fireworks from the Bayern fans, worsening the already poor visibility and leading to a break in play.
Kane struck the crossbar with a thunderous shot before sealing the result in the 80th with a shot inside the bottom corner after being picked out by Luis D铆az.
Angelo Stiller conceded a penalty for hand ball and Kane completed his hat trick from the spot in stoppage time.
鈥淗e’s impressive,鈥� Bayern coach Vincent Kompany said of Kane. “It’s not just his outstanding quality, but also his personality for the group. I’ve no idea how someone can score so many goals in their career and still be like just one of the guys.鈥�
Kane finished with 61 goals for Bayern this season, including the cup, league, super cup and Champions League.
They helped with four rounds to spare.
It was Bayern鈥檚 first appearance in the German Cup final since 2000, when it defeated Bayer Leverkusen 4-2 for its previous domestic double.
Stuttgart defeated third-division champion Arminia Bielefeld 4-2 in last year鈥檚 decider.
Bayern celebrations
Bayern鈥檚 players ran straight over to their fans in Olympiastadion鈥檚 east end to celebrate the end of the six-year cup title drought.
Stuttgart had the better of an intensive first half with Maximilian Mittelst盲dt forcing an outstanding save from Jonas Urbig, who was playing in place of the in Bayern鈥檚 otherwise full-strength team.
Stuttgart was playing at its limit, however, while Bayern was not. There was only going to be one winner after Kane scored his first.
“The second half was much better. We were much more effective,鈥� Joshua Kimmich told broadcaster ARD before his team got to lift the trophy under a shower of golden confetti.
Mourinho in Berlin
While no one was surprised to see Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann at the match two days after he with 11 Bayern and Stuttgart players included, few expected to see Portuguese coach Jos茅 Mourinho in attendance.
Mourinho, currently coach of Benfica, is next season, leading to speculation he was at the final to see Bayern star Michael Olise.
鈥淗e can have five eyes on Olise, he’s not getting him,鈥� Bayern powerbroker Uli Hoene脽 told broadcaster Sky.
Pre-game protest
Outside the stadium before the game, Thomas Melchior was continuing his one-man campaign to stop gambling providers鈥� involvement in sports. He was wearing a bright Stuttgart jersey, looking for Bayern fans to confront with a sign saying 鈥淪port rather than sports betting鈥� while carrying a 30-kilogram weight on his shoulders.
In contrast to when he first in October, Melchior was generating more praise than rage as fans had become aware of his campaign. But he wasn鈥檛 finished.
鈥淏ecause betting providers are still advertising everywhere during soccer matches 鈥� constantly, everywhere. And because people are still becoming addicted every single day because of that advertising,鈥� Melchior said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 exactly how it was for me back then, and that鈥檚 why I鈥檓 still doing this.鈥�
Melchior was sentenced to 5 陆 years in prison in 2019 for fraud and theft offenses after losing more than 800,000 euros ($930,000 today) on gambling.
Now trying to make amends, he lamented the endorsement of gambling providers and the DFB.
鈥淚t鈥檚 going completely in the wrong direction. There should be less advertising, not more,” Melchior said. “People have to simply know 鈥� firstly that sport betting is dangerous, and secondly that it will also destroy sport.”
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