Kane brace puts Bayern on course for last eight against Leverkusen

Harry Kane struck twice as Bayern Munich eased to a 3-0 home win over 10-man Bayer Leverkusen on Wednesday, putting them on track for the Champions League quarter-finals.

Unable to beat Leverkusen in six attempts since Xabi Alonso took over in October 2022, Bayern were dominant from start to finish in the first leg of their last-16 tie against the German champions at the Allianz Arena.

Kane headed in a lovely Michael Olise cross after nine minutes. Jamal Musiala was in the perfect spot early in the second half to capitalise on a goalkeeping howler from Matej Kovar, the usual backup to Leverkusen captain Lukas Hradecky.

Kovar rose high but not high enough, allowing a tame Joshua Kimmich cross to slip through his fingers. The ball fell at the feet of a grateful Musiala, who tapped home.

Eight minutes later, centre-back Nordi Mukiele sunk his studs into the calf of Alphonso Davies, picking up a second yellow.

Mukiele’s replacement Edmond Tapsoba bear-hugged Kane in the box. After the England captain fell to the turf, referee Michael Oliver consulted the VAR screen and pointed to the spot.

Kane converted his 30th consecutive penalty since his miss for England against France in the 2022 World Cup, placing Bayern on course for a victory in the tie and keeping the dream alive of appearing in this season’s final in Munich.

Cameras showed Alonso, who spoke of the need for cool heads on the European stage before the match, with his head buried in his palms as Kane and Bayern celebrated by the corner flag.

Bayern, who were considered outsiders by an array of pundits before the match, roared back into form, sending a reminder of where the balance of power in German football lies.

“It was a really big step in the right direction. We’ve struggled against this side over the last couple of years, but from the first minute on we brought focus and intensity,” Kane told DAZN.

“They’ll believe they can turn it around and we have to go with the same mindset we had today and get through.”

Bayern coach Vincent Kompany was calm after the match, saying it was “only half-time” and that he would “not at all” enjoy the result until a quarter-final spot was secure.

“This game was until now the most important game of our season. On Tuesday, we go again and then I hope another important game will come along,” he said.

“We’re staying calm and ready for what comes.”

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Leverkusen’s recent dominance broken

Last season’s undefeated Bundesliga winners Leverkusen had already eliminated Bayern from the German Cup this season and looked the better team in a scoreless draw between the sides in February.

Like he did in that match, Alonso opted not to name a striker in this game, leaving the in-form Patrik Schick on the bench.
Schick’s counterpart Kane was by his standards on a lean run, without a goal in four matches, but he put Bayern into the lead early, heading home an Olise cross.

Kovar, who emerged as Leverkusen’s cup ‘keeper mid-season, gifted Bayern a second, dropping the ball at the feet of Musiala to leave him with the easiest of finishes.

Bayern even overcame the loss of veteran captain Manuel Neuer, who was replaced by Jonas Urbig with half an hour remaining, but Leverkusen failed to challenge the 21-year-old debutant.

Mukiele’s sending-off and Kane’s spot-kick put Bayern on the verge of the last eight on an impressive night for Kompany.

Leverkusen midfielder Granit Xhaka lamented “conceding two very, very bitter and unnecessary goals,” but said “we need to keep believing, right until the end.”