A tiny village has commemorated being the first Dutch place liberated from World War II occupation

MESCH, Netherlands (AP) — Walking arm-in-arm with the Dutch queen, American World War II veteran Kenneth Thayer returned Thursday to the tiny village that he and others in the 30th Infantry Division liberated from Nazi occupation exactly 80 years ago.

Thayer, now 99, visited Mesch, a village of about 350 people in the hills close to the Netherlands' borders with Belgium and Germany, and was greeted by King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima for a ceremony beginning nearly a year of events marking the anniversary of the country's liberation.

After Thayer and the king and queen were driven in a vintage military truck into the village along a mud track through orchards and fields, Maxima reached out and gave a hand of support to Thayer as he walked to his seat to watch the ceremony paying tribute to the American liberators.

American troops from the 30th Infantry Division, known as Old Hickory, were among Allied forces that liberated parts of Belgium and the southern Netherlands from German occupation in September 1944.

Thayer still recalls the day. He told The Associated Press he was sent out on a reconnaissance mission the night before the liberation and saw no Germans.

“And so we went up the next day and we found that I had accidentally crossed the border and, we didn’t think anything of it, you know, it was just another day on the front line,” he said.

What felt like another day of work for soldiers who had fought their way from the beaches of Normandy, through northern France and Belgium to cross the Netherlands on their way into Germany is forever woven into the history of the village as the end of more than four years of Nazi occupation.

While Thayer was one of the guests of honor at the event, he paid tribute to his comrades who didn't make it through the war and said he was representing them.

“It wasn’t just me and there (are) hundreds and hundreds of guys who didn’t make it. They’re not here, you know,” he said.

Residents of Mesch were among the first Dutch citizens to taste postwar freedom, at about 10 a.m. on Sept. 12, 1944, when Thayer and other American infantry troops crossed the border from Belgium. A day later, they reached Maastricht, the provincial capital of Limburg and the first Dutch city to be liberated. It would take several months more for the whole country to finally be freed.

A schoolteacher, Jef Warnier, is remembered as the first Dutch person to be liberated, although others may have beaten him to the honor. After spending the previous night in a cellar with his family, he emerged to see an American soldier holding a German at gunpoint.

“Welcome to the Netherlands,” he said.

“They were treated to beer, I even think the pastor offered a few bottles of wine,” Warnier later recalled.

The fighting in Belgium, the Netherlands and into Germany took a heavy toll on American forces. An American cemetery in the nearby village of Margraten holds the graves of 8,288 servicemen and women.

In an enduring symbol of Dutch gratitude to their liberators, local people have “ adopted ” all the graves, visiting them regularly and bringing flowers on birthdays and other special days.

Jef Tewissen, 74, who was born in Mesch where his father was a farmer, said the gratitude is deeply rooted in the region.

“I have only heard good things from my father about the Americans,” he said after watching the king and queen walk along Mesch's main street.

The feeling, Thayer said, is mutual.

“The Dutch people were always tops with us," he said.

World War II veteran Kenneth Thayer is greeted by Dutch King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima before the royals joined Thayer in the jeep during a ceremony marking the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the south of the Netherlands in Mesch, Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong, Pool)

World War II veteran Kenneth Thayer, seated left, is greeted by Dutch King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima before the royals joined Thayer in the jeep during a ceremony marking the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the south of the Netherlands in Mesch, Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong, Pool)

Dutch Queen Maxima looks back from a jeep during a ceremony marking the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the south of the Netherlands in Mesch, Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong, Pool)

Dutch King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima pose for a selfie with a well-wisher during a ceremony marking the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the south of the Netherlands in Mesch, Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)

A border marker is seen as Dutch King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima arrive by limousine to join World War II veteran Kenneth Thayer, waiting in a jeep, during a ceremony marking the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the south of the Netherlands in Mesch, Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong, Pool)

World War II veteran Kenneth Thayer, Dutch King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima drive in a jeep during a ceremony marking the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the south of the Netherlands in Mesch, Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong, Pool)

Dutch Queen Maxima looks back from a jeep during a ceremony marking the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the south of the Netherlands in Mesch, Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong, Pool)

World War II veteran Kenneth Thayer is greeted by Dutch King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima before the royals joined Thayer in the jeep during a ceremony marking the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the south of the Netherlands in Mesch, Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong, Pool)

World War II veteran Kenneth Thayer sits in a jeep during a ceremony marking the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the south of the Netherlands in Mesch, Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong, Pool)

World War II veteran Kenneth Thayer flashes a thumbs up from a jeep during a ceremony marking the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the south of the Netherlands in Mesch, Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong, Pool)

Eighty years after the liberation of the south of the Netherlands, Scott Taylor, center, Ton Hermes and Maria Kleijnen stand next to the grave of Scott's grandfather Second Lt. Royce Taylor, a bombardier with the 527 Bomb Squadron, at the Netherlands American Cemetery in Margraten, southern Netherlands, on Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)

World War II veteran Kenneth Thayer is greeted by Dutch King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima before the royals joined Thayer in the jeep during a ceremony marking the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the south of the Netherlands in Mesch, Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong, Pool)

A resident waves as a jeep passes during a ceremony marking the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the south of the Netherlands in Mesch, Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong, Pool)

An American flag flies from the bell tower of the church as a convoy of WWII vehicles drives the liberation route during a ceremony marking the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the south of the Netherlands in Mesch, Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong, Pool)

World War II veteran Kenneth Thayer sits in a jeep during a ceremony marking the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the south of the Netherlands in Mesch, Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong, Pool)

World War II veteran Kenneth Thayer is escorted by Dutch King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima during a ceremony marking the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the south of the Netherlands in Mesch, Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)

MUNICH (AP) — Harry Kane broke Wayne Rooney’s record for the most Champions League goals by an English player when the Bayern Munich striker scored four times against Dinamo Zagreb on Tuesday.

It was one of several records broken as Bayern routed Dinamo Zagreb 9-2 in one of the highest-scoring games in Champions League history — and an emphatic start to European competition for new coach Vincent Kompany.

“Amazing game, a bit of a crazy game for sure,” Kane told broadcaster DAZN. “To score all those goals in the end was a great night.”

Kane took his tally to 33 in the competition by scoring in the 19th, 53rd, 73rd and 78th minutes — three of the goals were penalties — to surpass Rooney's record of 30.

“To be honest, after the second (penalty) I didn’t really know what to do with the third one, but thankfully I was able to put it away," Kane said.

Kane opened the scoring from the penalty spot to give Bayern the lead over the Croatian club after his teammate Aleksandar Pavlovic was fouled by Ronaël Pierre-Gabriel.

That drew Kane level with Rooney's record of 30, and he scored his 31st on a rebound after goalkeeper Ivan Nevistic parried Joshua Kimmich's shot in the 57th.

Kane scored two more from the penalty spot to extend his record.

Four other Bayern players scored in the emphatic win and there were two goals for new signing Michael Olise on his Champions League debut after signing from Crystal Palace.

Leon Goretzka’s header in stoppage time made Bayern the first team to score nine goals in the Champions League era. Some teams, including Bayern, achieved that feat in the old European Cup. It was the highest-scoring game in the competition in terms of total goals since Borussia Dortmund beat Legia Warsaw 8-4 in 2016.

The 31-year-old Kane has scored 12 Champions League goals since moving to Bayern a year ago and scored 21 before that for Tottenham.

Kane now has 53 goals in 50 games in all competitions since moving to Bayern.

Kane has scored nine goals in his last three games for club and country including two for England against Finland in his 100th international game and a hat trick Saturday for Bayern against Holstein Kiel in the Bundesliga.

Kane and Kylian Mbappé were joint top scorers in last season’s Champions League with eight goals each.

Another record was broken when Thomas Müller came off the bench to play his 152nd Champions League game for Bayern. That’s the most for a player for one club, breaking a tie with former Barcelona player Xavi Hernandez. Müller has made the joint fourth-most appearances in the competition of any player.

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Bayern's Harry Kane celebrates after scoring the opening goal from the penalty sport during the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Bayern Munich and GNK Dinamo at the Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

Bayern's Harry Kane, right, celebrates after scoring his sides 4th goal during the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Bayern Munich and GNK Dinamo at the Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

Bayern's Harry Kane celebrates after scoring the opening goal from the penalty sport during the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Bayern Munich and GNK Dinamo at the Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

Bayern's Harry Kane celebrates after scoring the opening goal from the penalty sport during the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Bayern Munich and GNK Dinamo at the Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

Bayern's Harry Kane scores the opening goal from the penalty sport during the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Bayern Munich and GNK Dinamo at the Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

Bayern's Harry Kane, right, celebrates after scoring his sides 5th goal during the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Bayern Munich and GNK Dinamo at the Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

Munich's Harry Kane celebrates after scoring his side's sixth goal during a Champions League opening phase soccer match between FC Bayern Munich and Dinamo Zagreb in Munich, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (Peter Kneffel/dpa via AP)