Bayern Munich achieved a rout (8-0) against Darmstadt in a match in which they suffered in the first half and then scored eight goals after the break and in which Harry Kane scored a great goal from the middle from the field, in addition to two others with which he completed his second triple in the Bundesliga.
The duel was also very special because it marked Neuer's return to the Bavarian goal. Bayern's already legendary German goalkeeper, 37 years old, had not played since November 2022 after being injured skiing.
The first half was eventful, with three expulsions that marked the game and only towards the end, when they had one more man, did Bayern have the impression of being in control on the field. In the second he had no mercy and scored eight goals, which could have been more.
The first expulsion occurred in the 4th minute, when Joshua Kimmich had to leave the field with a straight red card for a foul against Marvin Mehlem in the half moon, being the last defender. Kimmich had controlled and lost the ball to Mehlem, and reacted with a slight tug on the opponent's shirt.
After Kimmich's expulsion came a tangled phase in which Bayern had some arrivals but had no control. The best was a volley by Harry Kane in the 13th minute to which goalkeeper Marcel Schuhen reacted with a good save, giving in to a corner kick.
In the 20th minute the second expulsion occurred when Gjasula saw a straight red card after a foul against Konrad Laimer to cut off a good counterattack by Bayern led by Leroy Sané near the area.
The match continued to be disorderly, with sporadic arrivals from both teams. Bayern's best came from Kingsley Coman in the 30th minute, with a deflected shot from a good position after a great pass from Jamal Musiala.
Mehlem came close to giving Bayern a scare in a counterattack that culminated with a shot at the first post inside the area to which Neuer reacted with a great foot save showing that he is back.
The third expulsion came in the 41st minute. The victim was Maglica for a foul against Kane almost in the same place where Gjasula had knocked down Laimer. Afterwards, Bayern had several chances, including a goal by Sané that was disallowed for offside.
The teams went to half-time without a goal but with a new record, as there had never before been three expulsions in the first half of a Bundeliga match.
Bayern, with one more man, had begun to take control and at the beginning of the second half the duel was played mainly near the Darmstadt area. The goal came in the 50th minute, with Kane's header from Noussir Mazraoui's cross from the right.
The match seemed to have become completely unbalanced. Bayern insisted and the second goal came in the 56th minute when Sané put his left foot after a cross from Laimer. Bayern continued with an overwhelming plan and in the 59th minute Musiala wasted a great chance, but a minute later he scored with a shot from the crescent after a foul taken short from the left.
What came next was at least as out of the ordinary as the three expulsions in the first half. The goals kept coming like a waterfall. In the 64th minute Sané scored from outside the area, in the 69th Kane from the middle of the field when he saw Schuhen ahead, in the 71st Thomas Müller from Mazraoui's cross, in the 66th Musiala after a wall with Müller and in the 88th Kane completed his hat trick after a great play by Sané.
The result may, however, be somewhat misleading since Bayern was only able to bring out all its power when it found itself in numerical superiority and leaves a disturbing detail, the expulsion of Kimich, who will not be able to be in the next matchday against Borussia Dortmund.
8 - Bayern: Neuer; Mazraoui, De Light (Pavlovic, 77), Kim, Davies (Krätzig, 65); Laimer (Tel, 77), Kimmich; Coman (Müller, 65), Musiala (Choupo Moting, 77), Sané; Kane.
0 - Darmstadt: Shoes; Klarer (Ischerwood, 74), Gjalusula, Maglica; Bader, Kempe, Schnellhardt (Honsak, 46), Nuremberger; Mehlem; Pfeiffer (Zimmermann, 46), Skarke.
Goals: 1-0 (Min 51, Kane), 2-0 (Min 56, Sané), 3-0 (Min 60, Musiala), 4-0 (Min 64, Sané), 5-0 (Min 69, Kane ), 6-0 (min 71, Müller), 7-0 (min 76, Musiala), 8-0 (min 88, Kane)
Referee: Martin Petersen. I admonish De Light and Bader. Kimmich, Gjasula and Maglica were sent off with a direct red card
Incidents: Bundesliga match played at the Allianz Arena in Munich.
