Harry Kane scored twice as Bayern Munich secured a comfortable 3-0 victory over 10-man Bayer Leverkusen in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie at the Allianz Arena. The win puts Bayern in a strong position to reach the quarter-finals, with the return leg at the BayArena scheduled for Tuesday, March 11th.
Kane opened the scoring in the ninth minute, heading home a perfectly weighted cross from Michael Olise after getting in front of defender Nordi Mukiele.
Leverkusen almost responded immediately, but Dayot Upamecano’s poor backpass was intercepted by Jeremie Frimpong, only for Bayern captain Manuel Neuer to make a crucial save. Bayern’s Joshua Kimmich then saw his header from a corner hit the crossbar.
The visitors’ hopes of a comeback were severely hampered by a goalkeeping error. Matej Kovar allowed a Kimmich cross to slip through his gloves, allowing Jamal Musiala to poke the ball into an empty net.
Leverkusen’s night went from bad to worse when Mukiele was sent off for a second bookable offense, a reckless challenge on Kingsley Coman.
Bayern capitalized on their numerical advantage, adding a third goal from the penalty spot. Substitute Edmond Tapsoba brought down Kane in the box, and the England captain converted the resulting penalty after a VAR review.
Kane’s Record-Breaking Form Continues
Harry Kane’s brace took his tally for the season to 31 goals, further extending several impressive records. His nine goals in this season’s Champions League are the most by an English player in a single campaign, equaling Dennis Viollet’s overall European Cup record for Manchester United in 1956-57. Kane now has nine goals in Champions League knockout stages, with only Frank Lampard (15) and Wayne Rooney (14) having scored more for English clubs. He has scored more goals across all competition (75) than any other player in Europe top leagues.
Since joining Bayern, Kane has scored more goals across all competitions (75) than any other player in Europe’s top five leagues. Seventeen of those have come in the Champions League, also the most in the competition during that time. Only Robert Lewandowski scored more, 34.
Former Germany international Thomas Hitzlsperger, speaking on BBC Match of the Day, praised Kane’s impact: “Kane was instrumental to the win… his record speaks for itself, he is so important.”
Athletic journalist Rory Smith added: “There is a genuine debate at times over his mobility… But he is such a reliable goalscorer even if he detracts from the fluency of the team a bit, how do you keep him out?”
Leverkusen’s Errors and Tactical Gamble Backfire
Bayern Leverkusen manager Xabi Alonso’s decision to play without a recognized striker, leaving Patrik Schick and Victor Boniface on the bench, backfired. The team lacked a focal point in attack and struggled to create clear-cut chances.
Individual errors also proved costly. Mukiele’s passivity allowed Kane to score the opener, and goalkeeper Kovar’s mistake gifted Bayern their second goal. Mukiele’s subsequent red card and Tapsoba’s penalty concession further compounded Leverkusen’s woes.
“It’s the first leg, we can’t get carried away and we know what type of team they are, next week will be tough,” Kane said. “There was a lot of talk around the last game. We came into it fresh and it’s where the game was won. We made it difficult for them. Tuesday will be no different. We have to be ready.”
Alonso admitted his team’s mistakes were decisive: “A lot went against us today, but that was our own fault. We didn’t have good control and made big mistakes.”
Bayern’s only concern on an otherwise positive night was an injury to goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, who was replaced by Jonas Urbig. The extent of Neuer’s injury is yet to be determined.
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