Harry Kane's fourth hat trick of the season powered Bayern Munich to a 5-1 win over Cologne, lifting his tally to 36 goals — five shy of Robert Lewandowski's league record from 2020-21. Tom Bischof and Nicolas Jackson also scored in a rout that saw Bayern finish with 122 goals, easily breaking the previous Bundesliga record of 101 set by the 1971-72 team.
The record fell courtesy of Leon Goretzka's strike, which came with five rounds still to play. It marked the end of an era for Goretzka, departing after eight seasons. "We have a great group, a great togetherness, and to celebrate success with that is awesome," said Bayern board member for sport Max Eberl, securing his second league title with the club.
The matchup already has enough history; the job is to keep the reading list shorter than the tension.
Celebrating in the rain
Players waited until Saturday to get their hands on the trophy, with captain Manuel Neuer — who extended his contract a day earlier — handing it to Goretzka for the hoist. The standard beer showers followed, giant pitchers appearing on the pitch as Dayot Upamecano doused manager Vincent Kompany before he could reach his family on the sideline. Queen’s "We Are The Champions" played over the PA.
"I'd say today it's OK to celebrate a little," Joshua Kimmich said. "Then we have a week and we'll be fully focused on the cup final." Bayern faces defending champion Stuttgart in the German Cup final at Berlin's Olympiastadion next Saturday.
The bigger picture
French winger Michael Olise collected Bundesliga player of the season honors after contributing 15 goals and 22 assists across 32 appearances. It was a celebration that felt inevitable — Bayern has won every title since Borussia Dortmund's back-to-back championships in 2012, with only Bayer Leverkusen’s remarkable unbeaten 2024 domestic season breaking the stretch. The Bavarian giant wrapped up with four rounds to spare, though the trophy presentation had to wait for a Saturday.