February 08, (THEWILL) — Bayern Munich ended a two-match winless run in the league with a dominant 5-1 victory over Hoffenheim, inspired by a Luis Diaz hat-trick at the Allianz Arena.
The home side were awarded an early penalty when Kevin Akpoguma brought down Diaz in the area, with the defender sent off for being the last man. Harry Kane opened the scoring from the spot after 20 minutes, but Hoffenheim levelled when Andrej Kramaric finished after Fisnik Asllani intercepted a poor Manuel Neuer pass. Bayern regained the lead through another Kane penalty following a Vladimir Coufal foul on Diaz, before the Colombian fired past Oliver Baumann to make it 3-1 ahead of the interval.
Early chances fell to Michael Olise and Serge Gnabry for Bayern, whilst Hoffenheim threatened when Ozan Kabak headed wide unmarked. Asllani had hit the crossbar before creating Kramaric’s equaliser, but the visitors struggled to compete after going behind for a second time.
Diaz added his second in the 62nd minute after Olise laid the ball across the box, and the forward completed his treble in stoppage time with a low finish into the corner. Kane nearly claimed his own hat-trick when Baumann turned his header over the bar following a dangerous cross.
The emphatic result provides relief for Bayern after a difficult period, with the early red card proving pivotal in reducing Hoffenheim’s resistance at the Allianz Arena.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
