Bayern beat Stuttgart in Super Cup thanks to Kane and Luis Díaz

Bayern Munich’s Harry Kane celebrates victory with his teammates and holds the Cup after the German Super Cup soccer match between VfB Stuttgart and FC Bayern Munich at MHPArena. Tom Weller/dpa

Harry Kane started the season with a predictable goal and Luis Díaz struck on debut as Bayern Munich beat VFB Stuttgart 2-1 to win the German Super Cup on Saturday.

It was an eighth win for the Bavarians since the 2010 revival of the season curtain-raiser, which has been renamed the Franz Beckenbauer Super Cup in honour of the Bayern icon who died last year.

Kane pounced from the edge of the area after Luca Jaquez failed to properly cut out a through-ball on 18 minutes.

The England captain was clear top scorer in the Bundesliga in each of the last two seasons and will look to repeat the feat this term, in what many pundits think might be his last season in Germany.

New winger Luis Díaz made the game safe in the second half before Jamie Leweling’s late consolation.

“Very proud. It was about winning a title and also showing we are fully fit,” Bayern midfielder Joshua Kimmich told Sat.1 when asked if June’s Club World Cup had complicated preparation.

“It was a very well deserved win.”

Stuttgart striker Nick Woltemade, a target of Bundesliga champions Bayern, was superbly denied by Manuel Neuer from close range at 1-0 – although a goal may have been chalked off for an earlier offside.

Cup winners Stuttgart have said the Germany striker, who headed over in the second half, is staying at the club and Bayern have hinted he is too expensive to recruit at this juncture.

That is despite Bayern looking short of numbers up top following the exits of Thomas Müller, Mathys Tel, Leroy Sané and Kingsley Coman as well as the long-term injury to Jamal Musiala.

Luis Díaz has been recruited from Liverpool and the Colombia winger had a mixed display, with Serge Gnabry impressing having been linked with a move away. The pair combined as the new man headed in on 77 – moments before Gnabry limped off.

Youth team product Lennart Karl, 17, was next in line to enter the fray as a forward, underlining Bayern’s lack of strength in depth.

But their first team still deservedly lifted the trophy – with Kane also going close on the hour in Stuttgart – as the hosts lost the Super Cup for the second straight year having been beaten by Bayer Leverkusen last season.

Stuttgart did have chances as the game wore on but Neuer was at his dominant best before Leweling’s stoppage-time effort.

“We kept the game close, but in the end it wasn’t enough,” said Stuttgart midfielder Angelo Stiller.

The sides start their Bundesliga campaigns next weekend when Bayern host RB Leipzig on Friday and Stuttgart go to Union Berlin on Saturday.

The German Cup first round is also happening this weekend but Stuttgart will play their tie at Eintracht Braunschweig on August 26 while Bayern visit Wehen Wiesbaden a day later.

Some sets of fans on both sides boycotted the Super Cup because of unhappiness about it clashing with the Cup first round.