Kane ends goal drought with hat trick as Bayern beats Stuttgart 4-0 in Bundesliga

BERLIN (AP) — Harry Kane ended his brief goal drought with a hat trick to help Bayern Munich beat Stuttgart 4-0 in the Bundesliga on Saturday.

“As a striker, sometimes there's a lot of talk when you go a little spell without scoring,” Kane said. “That's just part and parcel of being a striker. You can't get too high or too low. I believe in myself and my ability. I believe in my teammates who create chances.”

Kane, who hadn’t scored in four games — three for Bayern and one for England — missed good chances before finally ending his barren spell with a shot from distance in the 57th minute.

Kane grabbed his second just four minutes later — after seeing another shot saved by Alexander Nübel — then missed another good chance before sealing his hat trick in the 80th with the rebound from a João Palhinha effort.

Palhinha had gone on early after Aleksandar Pavlovic went off with an apparent shoulder injury. It was the Portuguese midfielder’s fifth Bundesliga appearance, all but one as a substitute.

Kane’s three goals took his tally to eight for the season. Eintracht Frankfurt’s Omar Marmoush is the league top-scorer with nine.

“Today three goals, but very important, he also helped us not concede,” Bayern coach Vincent Kompany said of Kane.

Substitute Kingsley Coman scored Bayern’s fourth with a fine curling shot inside the far post.

Florian Wirtz returned from injury to help Bayer Leverkusen defeat in-form Eintracht Frankfurt 2-1, but the visitor was aggrieved for not being awarded a penalty in stoppage time.

Hugo Ekitiké looked set to score by heading the ball into an unguarded net after a mix up between goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky and Jonathan Tah, but Tah rushed back to put the airborne Ekitiké off balance and miss the ball.

“I rate Felix (Brych) very highly as a referee, but I'm speechless today,” Frankfurt coach Dino Toppmöller said of Brych's failure to award what would have been the third penalty of the game. “It's a clear foul. The guys are dejected and angry in the locker room.”

Ekitiké went further.

“Foul. Red card. Penalty. I am alone. In front of the goal. It’s crazy,” the French forward told reporters in the mixed zone.

Frankfurt’s protests went unheeded and there was no VAR intervention. Victor Boniface’s 72nd-minute goal proved to be the winner for the defending champion.

Boniface had an early chance from the penalty spot but Kevin Trapp saved his poorly struck spot kick in the ninth minute.

Frankfurt’s Omar Marmoush showed how it’s done seven minutes later, firing a penalty inside the left post after a clumsy challenge from Robert Andrich. It was Marmoush’s ninth goal in seven Bundesliga games, and it stretched his six-game scoring run.

But Andrich atoned by equalizing in the 25th after playing a one-two with Amine Adli and then Martin Terrier before a cool finish inside the far post.

Boniface finally scored when Trapp deflected substitute Wirtz’s cross kindly for a simple header.

Leverkusen said on Tuesday that Wirtz injured his ankle while on international duty with Germany.

Also, Xavi Simons starred for Leipzig to beat Mainz 2-0 away, Freiburg routed Augsburg 3-1 at home, Borussia Mönchengladbach defeated Heidenheim 3-2, and Hoffenheim defeated winless Bochum 3-1.

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

Munich's Harry Kane, left, and Stuttgart's Josha Vagnoman battle for the ball during a German Bundesliga soccer match between FC Bayern Munich and VfB Stuttgart, in Munich, Germany, Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024. (Tom Weller/dpa via AP)

Munich's Harry Kane heads the ball against Stuttgart during a German Bundesliga soccer match between FC Bayern Munich and VfB Stuttgart, in Munich, Germany, Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024. (Sven Hoppe/dpa via AP)

Munich's Harry Kane, left, plays against Stuttgart's Jeff Chabot during a German Bundesliga soccer match between FC Bayern Munich and VfB Stuttgart, in Munich, Germany, Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024. (Sven Hoppe/dpa via AP)

Leverkusen players celebrate after the German Bundesliga soccer match between Bayer Leverkusen and Eintracht Frankfurt at the BayArena in Leverkusen, Germany, Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

Leverkusen players celebrate after the German Bundesliga soccer match between Bayer Leverkusen and Eintracht Frankfurt at the BayArena in Leverkusen, Germany, Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

Leverkusen players celebrate after the German Bundesliga soccer match between Bayer Leverkusen and Eintracht Frankfurt at the BayArena in Leverkusen, Germany, Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

Leverkusen players celebrate after the German Bundesliga soccer match between Bayer Leverkusen and Eintracht Frankfurt at the BayArena in Leverkusen, Germany, Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

Leverkusen's Florian Wirtz applauds after the German Bundesliga soccer match between Bayer Leverkusen and Eintracht Frankfurt at the BayArena in Leverkusen, Germany, Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

Frankfurt's Hugo Ekitike, right, is challenged by Leverkusen's Edmond Tapsoba during the German Bundesliga soccer match between Bayer Leverkusen and Eintracht Frankfurt at the BayArena in Leverkusen, Germany, Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

Leverkusen's Florian Wirtz celebrates scoring during the Bundesliga soccer match between Bayer Leverkusen and Eintracht Frankfurt at BayArena, Leverkusen, Germany, Saturday Oct. 19, 2024. (Marius Becker/dpa via AP)

DETROIT (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris appeared with Lizzo on Saturday in the singer's hometown of Detroit, marking the beginning of in-person voting and lavishing the city with praise after Republican nominee Donald Trump recently disparaged it.

“All the best things were made in Detroit. Coney Dogs, Faygo and Lizzo,” the singer joked to a rally crowd, pointing to herself after listing off the meat-on-a-stick and soda that the city is famous for.

She said it was time to “put some respect on Detroit’s name” noting that the city had revolutionized the auto and music industries and adding that she'd already cast her ballot for Harris since voting early was “a power move.”

Heaps of praise for the Motor City came after Trump, the former president, insulted it during a recent campaign stop. And Harris continued the theme, saying of her campaign, "Like the people of Detroit, we have grit, we have excellence, we have history.”

Arms wide open as she took the stage, Harris let the crowd see she was wearing under her blazer a “Detroit vs. Everybody” T-shirt that the owner of the business that produces them gave her during a previous stop in the city earlier in the week. She also moved around the stage during her speech with a hand-held mic, not using a teleprompter.

More than 1 million Michigan residents have already voted by mail in the Nov. 5 election, and Harris predicted that Detroit turnout for early voting would be strong.

“Who is the capital of producing records?" Harris asked when imploring the crowd to set new highs for early voting tallies. "We are going to break some records here in Detroit today.”

She slammed Trump as unstable: “Somebody just needs to watch his rallies, if you’re not really sure how to vote.”

“We’re not going to get these 17 days back. On Election Day, we don’t want to have any regrets," the vice president said.

Lizzo also told the crowd, "Mrs. Commander-in-Chief has a nice ring to it.”

“This is the swing state of all swing states, so every last vote here counts," the singer said. Then, referencing her song of the same title, Lizzo added, “If you ask me if America is ready for its first woman president, I only have one thing to say: “It’s about damn time!”

Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley said in a statement that Harris needed Lizzo “to hide the fact that Michiganders were feeling good under President Trump – real wages were higher, prices were lower, and everyone was better off.”

Talona Johnson, a product manager from Rochester, Michigan, attended Harris rally and said that Harris “and her team are doing the things that are required to make sure that people are informed."

“I believe she’s telling the truth. She’s trying to help the people," said Johnson, who said she planned to vote for Harris and saw women’s rights as her top concern.

"I don’t necessarily agree with everything that she’s put out, but she’s better than the alternative,”

In comments to reporters prior to the rally, Harris said she was in Detroit “to thank all the folks for the work they are doing to help organize and register people to vote, and get them out to vote today. She also called Detroit “a great American city” with “a lot of hard-working folks that have grit and ambition and deserve to be respected.”

The vice president was asked about whether the Biden administration's full-throated support for Israel in its war with Hamas in Gaza might hurt her support in Michigan. Dearborn, near Detroit, is the largest city with an Arab majority in the nation.

“It has never been easy," Harris said of Middle East policy. "But that doesn’t mean we give up.”

She will get more star power later Saturday when she holds a rally in Atlanta featuring another wildly popular singer, Usher.

Early voting is also underway in Georgia. More than 1.2 million ballots have been cast, either in person or by mail.

Democrats hope an expansive organizing effort will boost Harris against Trump in the campaign's final weeks.

Associated Press writers Matt Brown in Detroit and Will Weissert and Fatima Hussein in Washington contributed.

Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris arrives to speak during a campaign event at the Oakland Expo Center, in Oakland County, Mich., Friday, Oct. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)