A HARRY Kane brace, including his 30th spot kick in a row, took Bayern Munich to a 3-0 home win over a 10-man Bayer Leverkusen on Wednesday, putting them on track for the Champions League last eight.
Unable to beat Leverkusen in six attempts since Xabi Alonso took over in October 2022, Bayern were dominant from start to finish against the German champions, who looked shellshocked under the Allianz Arena floodlights.
Kane headed in a lovely Michael Olise cross after nine minutes. Nine minutes into the second, Jamal Musiala was in the perfect spot to capitalise on a goalkeeping howler from Matej Kovar, the usual backup to Leverkusen captain Lukas Hradecky.
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Kovar rose high but not high enough, allowing a tame Joshua Kimmich chip 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 Edmund 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 as he has in every match dating back to his miss for England against France in the 2022 World Cup, putting Bayern on course for a victory in the tie and keeping the dream alive of appearing in this season’s final in Munich.
Meanwhile, Raphinha claimed Barcelona a 1-0 Champions League last-16 first-leg win at Benfica on Wednesday, despite the Catalan giants playing most of the game with 10 men.
Teenage defender Pau Cubarsi was sent off midway through the first half of the tight clash in Lisbon with the score goalless.
Raphinha drilled home after 61 minutes to give five-time winners Barcelona a slim advantage on Bruno Lage’s side ahead of the second leg next Tuesday.
Barcelona have not won the competition since 2015 but are expected to go deep this season, after a draw which many consider favourable.
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Harry Kane-inspired Bayern on course for last 8 against Leverkusen
A HARRY Kane brace, including his 30th spot kick in a row, took Bayern Munich to a 3-0 home win over a 10-man Bayer Leverkusen on Wednesday, putting them on track for the Champions League last eight.
Unable to beat Leverkusen in six attempts since Xabi Alonso took over in October 2022, Bayern were dominant from start to finish against the German champions, who looked shellshocked under the Allianz Arena floodlights.
Kane headed in a lovely Michael Olise cross after nine minutes. Nine minutes into the second, Jamal Musiala was in the perfect spot 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 chip 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 Edmund 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 as he has in every match dating back to his miss for England against France in the 2022 World Cup, putting Bayern on course for a victory in the tie and keeping the dream alive of appearing in this season’s final in Munich.
Meanwhile, Raphinha claimed Barcelona a 1-0 Champions League last-16 first-leg win at Benfica on Wednesday, despite the Catalan giants playing most of the game with 10 men.
Teenage defender Pau Cubarsi was sent off midway through the first half of the tight clash in Lisbon with the score goalless.
Raphinha drilled home after 61 minutes to give five-time winners Barcelona a slim advantage on Bruno Lage’s side ahead of the second leg next Tuesday.
Barcelona have not won the competition since 2015 but are expected to go deep this season, after a draw which many consider favourable.
– © AFP 2025
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Harry Kane Take a Bow Barcelona Bayer Leverkusen Bayern Munich Benfica