European football: Harry Kane scores hat-trick as Bayern put eight past Mainz

On Saturday, Harry Kane impressed everyone by scoring three goals in Bayern Munich's 8-1 thrashing of Mainz. This impressive feat set a new record for the Bundesliga. As a result, the reigning champions managed to narrow the gap between themselves and the current league leaders, Bayer Leverkusen, to just seven points.

In the 13th minute, Kane scored his first goal, tapping the ball in from a short distance as Bayern attempted to break their streak of only one win in their past four league matches. Seven minutes later, Leon Goretzka scored another goal after Kane's shot hit the post and bounced back into play.

Mainz managed to temporarily lessen their disadvantage, thanks to an impressive free kick from Nadiem Amiri, but their attempts to score a second goal were unsuccessful as Kane intervened just before half-time. The narrative shifted in the second half, with Thomas Müller's swift action securing a fourth goal for the hosts in the 47th minute.

As the Mainz defenders struggled to maintain order, the home team continued to push forward. Jamal Musiala managed to slip a shot past the goalkeeper, and then substitute Serge Gnabry amazed the audience with his daring mid-air backheel flick, bringing the score to 6-1.

The leader of the English team made it three goals by scoring from a short distance, putting the ball in the net after it bounced off the post. Goretzka also scored with a header during the time added on to finalize the victory. Kane achieves a record of becoming the only player to score two goals in eight separate matches during his first season playing in the German top-flight division. Also, he now has a total of 30 goals in the league this season.

Bayern Munich currently holds the second ranking position with a total of 57 points, while they wait for Leverkusen’s home game against Wolfsburg on Sunday. During the same week, Leipzig won 2-0 on their home turf against the bottom ranked Darmstadt team. In a highly intense derby, Mönchengladbach settled for a 3-3 draw against Cologne. However, the game was marred by clashes between fans before the match, which created a tense atmosphere throughout.

Atlético Madrid was defeated by Cádiz 2-0 in La Liga on Saturday, with Juanmi causing two goals to give the struggling team their first victory in the league in half a year.

The team led by Diego Simeone were outplayed by the home team who scored first with a diving header by Juanmi in the 24th minute. Later in the game, the Spanish forward sealed the victory with a shot from up close after an error in the defense at the 60th minute.

Atlético are currently sitting in the fourth position of the league table with 55 points, which is five points more than Athletic Bilbao who are in the fifth spot. Athletic Bilbao still have a game left to play against Las Palmas on Sunday. Cádiz, on the other hand, are still in the 18th position, however, they are just two points behind the 17th-placed team, Celta Vigo. This Sunday, Celta Vigo will be up against the league leaders, Real Madrid. Valencia, at the same time, managed to secure a 1-0 victory against Getafe during their home game, which has aided their chances of making it to the international stage.

Sassuolo improved their chances of avoiding relegation in the Serie A after winning 1-0 against Frosinone, who also struggle at the bottom of the table. Kristian Thorstvedt scored the winning goal around the 60th minute, and Sassuolo are now just one point behind Frosinone in the league standings. Cagliari also climbed up the table to 13th place after defeating Salernitana 4-2 at home.

Serie A's runaway leaders, Internazionale, are one step closer to securing their title with a 1-0 win over Bologna. Yann Bisseck scored the only goal of the game during the first half, heading in off a well-placed cross from Alessandro Bastoni. Simone Inzaghi's team demonstrated their dominance yet again, and they are on their way towards a deserved victory in the league.

"We kept our distance from our pursuers. We earned the advantage in the initial period, but Bologna demonstrated why they occupy their current standing," Inzaghi shared with Dazn. "We began to experience some exhaustion, and our minds began to wander toward the forthcoming matches."