Bayern Munich cruised into the German Cup last 16 with an emphatic 6-1 victory over second-division Magdeburg on Wednesday, as newly crowned Ballon d'Or winner Harry Kane watched from the bench.
Michael Olise scored twice, while Ismael Saibari, Alphonso Davies, Nathaniel Brown and teenager David Santos Daiber also found the net in a dominant display at the Allianz Arena.
Kane, who claimed the prestigious Ballon d'Or award in London on Monday, received a guard of honour from his Bayern teammates before kick-off. The 75,000 supporters in attendance also celebrated the England captain's achievement.
Bayern received another boost before the match, with head coach Vincent Kompany discharged from hospital five days after collapsing during a training session.
"We're also winning for him of course," Brown said of Kompany. "It's really good that he's back home now. He should get some rest, but hopefully we'll see him again soon."
Bayern made a flying start when Olise converted from close range in the 10th minute following an excellent assist from Saibari.
However, Magdeburg responded just five minutes later, with Mateusz Zukowski scoring an unexpected equaliser to briefly restore parity.
The hosts regained control midway through the first half as Olise turned provider, setting up Saibari to put Bayern back in front.
Olise extended the advantage early in the second half, converting a penalty before smiling and pointing towards Kane, Bayern's usual spot-kick taker, on the bench.
Teenage forward Lennart Karl then played a key role in Bayern's attacking dominance, providing assists for Davies and Brown before Santos Daiber completed the rout with a stoppage-time strike.
Kane remained an unused substitute throughout the contest as Bayern managed his workload ahead of Saturday's highly anticipated Bundesliga home clash against Borussia Dortmund.
Elsewhere in the German Cup, Bayer Leverkusen recovered from a two-goal deficit to secure an impressive 5-2 victory over Nuremberg.
Defender Edmond Tapsoba led the comeback with two goals, while Patrik Schick, Jonas Hofmann and Lucas Vazquez also scored as Leverkusen booked their place in the next round.
Stuttgart needed a dramatic late winner from Germany international Deniz Undav to secure a narrow 1-0 victory over 10-man Paderborn.
The 2025 German Cup finalists appeared to have a numerical advantage when Paderborn's Laurin Curda received a red card in the 37th minute.
Despite dominating possession against the reduced hosts, Stuttgart struggled to break down a resilient defensive unit.
Striker Ermedin Demirovic saw two attempts saved before Undav finally delivered the breakthrough in the 90th minute, converting a cross from Chris Fuehrich to spare Stuttgart the prospect of extra time.
"The win is what matters most," Undav said. "I honestly don't care whether I'm the one who scores, and that's the truth. We won, we're through to the next round – on we go."
Freiburg secured a dramatic 3-2 home victory over Wolfsburg, with Japanese forward Keisuke Goto scoring twice in the final 15 minutes to overturn a 2-1 deficit.
Goto's international teammate Kento Shiogai also registered a brace, while Freiburg striker Igor Matanovic opened the scoring in an entertaining encounter.
Several second-division clubs also progressed to the German Cup last 16.
Dynamo Dresden secured a 2-0 victory over Schalke, while Hertha Berlin recorded an identical scoreline against Jeddeloh.
Kaiserslautern also advanced after eliminating Hannover, completing another eventful round of German Cup action.
With Bayern Munich, Bayer Leverkusen and Stuttgart all progressing, the competition's leading contenders remain firmly in the hunt for silverware.
