BERLIN (AP) — England star Harry Kane scored twice for Bayern Munich on Saturday to reach 500 career goals for club and country, according to stats provider Opta.
Kane's brace helped Bayern maintain its six-point Bundesliga lead with a 3-0 win at relegation-threatened Werder Bremen. The penalty came in the 22nd minute, and his second goal came four minutes later from outside the penalty area for his 26th league goal of the season.
"It was nice. Obviously a proud achievement to reach 500 goals. It's a lot of hard work, a lot sacrifice, so nice to reach it," Kane told broadcaster Dazn. "But as always, it's about the next one. So the most important thing today is the win, the clean sheet."
Kane needed 743 games to reach 500 goals, according to Transfermarkt.de. His first goal was as a 17-year-old playing for Leyton Orient against Sheffield Wednesday in January 2011.
Hoffenheim Eyes Champions League
Hoffenheim consolidated third place with a 3-0 win over Freiburg. Andrej Kramarić scored a contender for goal of the day when he lobbed the ball in from around 40 meters, but a VAR check found he was offside. Fisnik Asllani and Ozan Kabak were on target after the break.
Battle for Fourth Heats Up
Ermedin Demirović scored twice and Deniz Undav got the third as Stuttgart moved into fourth spot with a 3-1 win over Cologne. Bayer Leverkusen had earlier put the pressure on Stuttgart with a 4-0 win over lowly St. Pauli.
Just three points separate Stuttgart (42), Leverkusen (39) and Leipzig (39) before Leipzig hosts Wolfsburg on Sunday.
Other Saturday Results
Leon Goretzka scored the team's third goal in the 70th minute. Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer went off at half time as a precaution with a minor calf problem. Hamburg SV held on for a 3-2 win over Union Berlin and Eintracht Frankfurt enjoyed a 3-0 victory over visiting Borussia Mönchengladbach.
Bayern's win means the team is highly unlikely to be overtaken by Borussia Dortmund when the two rivals meet in two weeks. Bayern's goal difference is vastly superior.