Kane scores 2 and Díaz gets a hat trick as Bayern routs 10-man Hoffenheim 5-1 in Bundesliga

BERLIN (AP) — Harry Kane scored two penalties and Luis Díaz grabbed a hat trick as Bayern Munich ended its short winless run with a 5-1 rout of 10-man Hoffenheim in the Bundesliga on Sunday.

The first penalty decision overshadowed the game as referee Tobias Stieler sent off Kevin Akpoguma in the 17th minute for bringing down Díaz when TV replays showed the Colombia star had also tugged at the Hoffenheim defender. There was no VAR intervention.

“It hurts, because it decides the game in the end,” Hoffenheim midfielder Grischa Prömel said.

That didn’t bother Kane as he sent the penalty past Hoffenheim goalkeeper Oliver Baumann.

Hoffenheim hit the crossbar and missed other chances before a mistake from Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer allowed Fisnik Asllani to intercept his attempted lob and set up Andrej Kramarić for the equalizer in the 36th.

Vladimir Coufal was the next to bring down Díaz using his arm in the 44th, and Kane dispatched that penalty, too, before setting up Díaz for Bayern’s third before the break.

Bayern had to wait till the 62nd for the fourth, scored by Díaz, and the Colombian wrapped up the scoring in the 89th.

It kept Bayern six points clear of second-place Borussia Dortmund. Bayern's winless run had seen a surprise draw with Hamburger SV and loss to Augsburg – its first league defeat of the season.

Hoffenheim, which was on a five-game winning run, stayed third.

Christoph Baumgartner scored twice and Leipzig held on to beat Cologne 2-1 to move fourth, a boost for its hopes of Champions League qualification.

Cologne made the better start with Said El Mala having two good chances, while Romulo struck the post at the other end.

Baumgartner made the breakthrough in the 29th minute with a header from David Raum’s free kick after Yan Diomande was fouled on the right.

Jan Thielmann replied after the break for Cologne when he scooped the ball inside the far post after Leipzig was unable to clear. The visitors complained that Isak Bergmann Johannesson had pushed Antonio Nusa in the buildup with Leipzig coach Ole Werner getting booked for his protests but the goal stood.

Baumgartner responded almost straight away with a low shot on the turn to silence the home fans.

Baumgartner also inadvertently blocked a goalward shot with his arm, preventing a certain goal in the 77th. Referee Frank Willenborg, who had initially indicated the ball came off the player’s chest, instead announced an offside decision after consulting video replays.

Cologne kept pushing for the equalizer but Leipzig held on to capitalize on Stuttgart’s surprise loss at St. Pauli the day before. After 21 rounds, Leipzig holds the last place for Champions League qualification on goal difference.

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

Hoffenheim's Andrej Kramaric, center, celebrates scoring with teammates during the Bundesliga soccer match between Bayern Munich and TSG 1899 Hoffenheim in Munich, Germany, Sunday Feb. 8, 2026. (Sven Hoppe/dpa via AP)

Bayern Munich's Luis Diaz celebrates scoring during the Bundesliga soccer match between Bayern Munich and TSG 1899 Hoffenheim in Munich, Germany, Sunday Feb. 8, 2026. (Sven Hoppe/dpa via AP)

Bayern Munich's Harry Kane, right, and Hoffenheim's Vladimir Coufal in action during the Bundesliga soccer match between Bayern Munich and TSG 1899 Hoffenheim in Munich, Germany, Sunday Feb. 8, 2026. (Sven Hoppe/dpa via AP)

Bayern Munich's Luis Diaz celebrates scoring during the Bundesliga soccer match between Bayern Munich and TSG 1899 Hoffenheim in Munich, Germany, Sunday Feb. 8, 2026. (Sven Hoppe/dpa via AP)

Cologne's Ragnar Ache is helped off the pitch during a German Bundesliga soccer match between Cologne and Leipzig in Cologne, Germany, Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

Cologne's Marius Buelter, left, and Leipzig's Willi Orban jump for the ball during a German Bundesliga soccer match between Cologne and Leipzig in Cologne, Germany, Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

Leipzig's goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi saves during a German Bundesliga soccer match between Cologne and Leipzig in Cologne, Germany, Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

Cologne's Eric Martel, left, and Leipzig's Christoph Baumgartner jump for the ball during a German Bundesliga soccer match between Cologne and Leipzig in Cologne, Germany, Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

Cologne's Jan Thielmann, left, and Leipzig's David Raum fight for the ball during a German Bundesliga soccer match between Cologne and Leipzig in Cologne, Germany, Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

ROME (AP) — Pope Leo XIV carried a wooden cross for all of the 14 stations of the Way of the Cross at the Colosseum on his first Good Friday as pontiff, marking the first time in decades that a pope carried the cross to every station.

“I think it will be an important sign because of what the pope represents, a spiritual leader in the world today, and for this voice, that everyone wants to hear, that says Christ still suffers,” Leo told reporters this week outside of the papal retreat at Castel Gandolfo. “I carry all of this suffering in my prayer.”

Inside the Colosseum, Leo lifted the cross and began the rite flanked by two torchbearers, who accompanied him throughout the hour-long procession from inside the Colosseum, through the crowd outside and up steep stairs to the Palatine Hill where he gave the final blessing.

At the first station, marking the moment Jesus was condemned to death, the meditation prepared especially for Leo's first Good Friday underlined that those with authority will have to answer to God for how they exercise their power.

"The power to judge; the power to start or end a war; the power to instill violence or peace; the power to fuel the desire for revenge, or for reconciliation,'' read the meditation written by Rev. Francesco Patton, who was custodian of the Holy Land 2016-25, charged, among other things, with looking after sacred sites.

Some 30,000 faithful gathered outside the pagan monument, following the stations as they were recited over loud speakers.

They included Sister Pelenatita Kieoma Finau from Samoa and a member of the Missionary Sisters of the Society of Mary.

"We have been part of our parish stations of the cross, but this is so exciting. It is very meaningful to have the experience of being with the people of Rome on this special occasion,'' she said.

John Paul II carried the cross for the entire procession from his first Good Friday as pontiff in 1979 until his hip surgery in 1995, when he carried it just part of the way, according to AP reports at the time.

For the first two years of his papacy, Benedict XVI carried the cross for the first station inside the Colosseum, then followed other bearers in the procession that ends on a platform on the Palatine Hill.

Pope Francis never carried the cross, but participated in the procession until his health worsened. He died after a long illness last year on Easter Monday, which fell on April 21.

Pope John Paul II was just 58 when he became pope, and was known as a hiker and outdoorsman. His two successors were in their late 70s when they began their papacies, and Francis was missing part of a lung due to a pulmonary infection as a young man.

The Way of the Cross commemorates the final hours of Jesus’ life, from his death sentence to taking up the cross to his crucifixion, death and burial. The procession ends outside the Colosseum atop the Palatine Hill.

“The Way of the Cross is not intended for those who lead a pristinely pious or abstractly recollected life,” Patton wrote in his introduction. “Instead, it is the exercise of one who knows that faith, hope and charity must be incarnated in the real world.”

At 70, Leo is physically fit and an avid tennis player and swimmer. Before becoming pope, Leo would work out regularly at a gym near the Vatican, with a plan befitting a man in his early 50s, according to his former trainer.

On Holy Saturday, the pontiff will preside over a late night Easter vigil, during which he will baptize new Catholics, and lead Roman Catholics into Christianity’s most joyous celebration marking Christ’s resurrection.

On Easter Sunday, the pope will celebrate an open-air Mass in St. Peter’s Square before delivering his Easter message and offer the traditional “Urbi et Orbi” blessing to the city of Rome and the world.

——

Barry reported from Milan.

Pope Leo XIV carries a lightweight, 1.5-meter (5-foot) wooden cross during the Via Crucis, the torchlit Good Friday Stations of the Cross procession at the Colosseum in Rome, Friday, April 3, 2026, which symbolically retraces Jesus Christ's steps to his crucifixion on Calvary in Jerusalem. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

Pope Leo XIV carries a lightweight, 1.5-meter (5-foot) wooden cross during the Via Crucis, the torchlit Good Friday Stations of the Cross procession at the Colosseum in Rome, Friday, April 3, 2026, which symbolically retraces Jesus Christ's steps to his crucifixion on Calvary in Jerusalem. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

Pope Leo XIV carries a lightweight, 1.5-meter (5-foot) wooden cross during the Via Crucis, the torchlit Good Friday Stations of the Cross procession at the Colosseum in Rome, Friday, April 3, 2026, which symbolically retraces Jesus Christ's steps to his crucifixion on Calvary in Jerusalem. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

Faithful attend the Via Crucis, the torchlit Good Friday Stations of the Cross procession led by Pope Leo XIV at the Colosseum in Rome, Friday, April 3, 2026, which symbolically retraces Jesus Christ's steps to his crucifixion on Calvary in Jerusalem. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Pope Leo XIV carries a lightweight, 1.5-meter (5-foot) wooden cross during the Via Crucis, the torchlit Good Friday Stations of the Cross procession at the Colosseum in Rome, Friday, April 3, 2026, which symbolically retraces Jesus Christ's steps to his crucifixion on Calvary in Jerusalem. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

Pope Leo XIV carries a lightweight, 1.5-meter (5-foot) wooden cross during the Via Crucis, the torchlit Good Friday Stations of the Cross procession at the Colosseum in Rome, Friday, April 3, 2026, which symbolically retraces Jesus Christ's steps to his crucifixion on Calvary in Jerusalem. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

Pope Leo XIV carries a lightweight, 1.5-meter (5-foot) wooden cross during the Via Crucis, the torchlit Good Friday Stations of the Cross procession at the Colosseum in Rome, Friday, April 3, 2026, which symbolically retraces Jesus Christ's steps to his crucifixion on Calvary in Jerusalem. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

Pope Leo XIV attends the Celebration of the Passion of the Lord in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican on Catholic Good Friday, Friday, April 3, 2026 (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Pope Leo XIV attends the Celebration of the Passion of the Lord in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican on Catholic Good Friday, Friday, April 3, 2026 (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)