There were eight goals in 37 minutes in a remarkable game of football as Bayern Munich thrashed Darmstadt 8-0 on Saturday afternoon.
Scoreline aside, the clash also saw Manuel Neuer make his first competitive outing in more than 10 months, Harry Kane hit another hat-trick iincluding one from well within his own half, and three red cards dished out in the first half alone.
Neuer broke his leg skiing on a post-World Cup holiday in December 2022 and didn’t return to training until September this year. He kept a clean sheet against Darmstadt as Bayern played with 10 men for 88 minutes, and Die Lilien with nine from the 41st minute onwards.
It was the first time in Bundesliga history that three red cards were shown in the first-half.
The skiing incident came the week after Germany crashed out of the World Cup in the group stages for the second time in a row. Neuer had taken the trip to "try to get [his] head clear," and posted on Instagram that "the end of the year could have definitely gone better.” Something of an understatement, perhaps.
His return to the pitch marked his first domestic game since November 12th, 2022, his longest absence by a distance (351 days). Before the game Bayern manager Thomas Tuchel called Neuer’s return "a special situation" that the goalkeeper "can be proud of."
The 37-year-old looked comfortable back between the sticks but initially wasn’t afforded an easy return. He faced eight shots in the first-half and was without experienced defensive midfielder Joshua Kimmick from the fourth minute onwards, with the 28-year-old seeing red for denying a goalscoring opportunity to Marvin Mehlem in almost the first chance of the game. It was Kimmick’s first career sending off after 496 appearances, meaning he will miss Der Klassiker against Borussia Dortmund next Saturday.
The afternoon was undoubtedly more challenging for Darmstadt stopper Marcel Schuhen, however, who had two of his back three sent off in the first-half and conceded eight times in the second half.
Bayern emerged from the break looking like a different side, and mercilessly tore into their guests as Kane notched a hat-trick, Leroy Sané and Jamal Musiala each bagged braces, and Thomas Müller netted once. Kane claimed the game’s fifth, and his second, by launching past Schuhen from 55 yards.
The England striker then completed his hat-trick with Bayern's eighth goal two minutes from time to take his tally to 15 goals in 13 appearances since signing from Tottenham in the summer.
Sven Ulreich, last season’s third choice who covered in Neuer’s absence, watched on from the bench. Bayern currently sit top of in the Budesliga after nine games and next face FC Saarbrücken in the DFB-Pokal before taking on rivals Dortmund on Saturday.
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