05/23/26 03:31:00
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05/23 15:29 CDT Harry Kane hat trick powers Bayern Munich to German Cup triumph
against Stuttgart in final
Harry Kane hat trick powers Bayern Munich to German Cup triumph against
Stuttgart in final
By CIARAN FAHEY
AP Sports Writer
BERLIN (AP) --- 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's 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
"freedom for the terraces." 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's 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
Daz.
Angelo Stiller conceded a penalty for hand ball and Kane completed his hat
trick from the spot in stoppage time.
Kane finished with 61 goals for Bayern this season, including the cup, league,
super cup and Champions League.
They helped Bayern wrap up the Bundesliga title with four rounds to spare.
It was Bayern's 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's
decider.
Bayern celebrations
Bayern's players ran straight over to their fans in Olympiastadion's east end
to celebrate the end of the six-year cup title drought.
Stuttgart had the better of an intensive first half with Maximilian Mittelstdt
forcing an outstanding save from Jonas Urbig, who was playing in place of the
injured Manuel Neuer in Bayern's otherwise full-strength team.
Kane was frustrated, getting just a shoulder to an Olise cross and having
another chance cleared by Ramon Hendriks.
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," Joshua Kimmich
told broadcaster ARD before his team got to lift the trophy under a shower of
golden confetti.
Pre-game protest
Outside the stadium before the game, Thomas Melchior was continuing his one-man
campaign to stop gambling providers' involvement in sports. He was wearing a
bright Stuttgart jersey, looking for Bayern fans to confront with a sign saying
"Sport rather than sports betting" while carrying a 30-kilogram weight on his
shoulders.
In contrast to when he first spoke to The Associated Press in October, Melchior
was generating more praise than rage as fans had become aware of his campaign.
But he wasn't finished.
"Because betting providers are still advertising everywhere during soccer
matches --- constantly, everywhere. And because people are still becoming
addicted every single day because of that advertising," Melchior said. "That's
exactly how it was for me back then, and that's why I'm still doing this."
Melchior was sentenced to 5 years in prison in 2019 for fraud and theft
offenses after losing more than 800,000 euros ($937,000 today) on gambling.
Now trying to make amends, he lamented the endorsement of gambling providers by
the likes of FIFA and the DFB.
"It's going completely in the wrong direction. There should be less
advertising, not more," Melchior said. "People have to simply know --- firstly
that sport betting is dangerous, and secondly that it will also destroy sport."
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
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