Harry Kane (foto: Getty Images)
Harry Kane scored twice but missed a late penalty as Bayern Munich beat Union Saint-Gilloise 2-0, secured Champions League qualification, and reached another European milestone despite playing with ten men.
Harry Kane once again led Bayern Munich to a crucial European victory, scoring both goals in a 2-0 win over Union Saint-Gilloise that secured the German champions’ place in the Champions League round of 16.
The England captain opened the scoring in the 52nd minute, heading home Michael Olise’s in-swinging corner at the far post. Just three minutes later, Kane was brought down in the box by goalkeeper Kjell Scherpen and calmly converted the resulting penalty to make it 2-0.
Bayern’s task became more complicated in the 63rd minute when Kim Min-jae was sent off for a second yellow card after pulling back Raul Florucz. Despite being reduced to ten men, Vincent Kompany’s team remained in control and never allowed the Belgian side to seriously threaten their lead.
Kane had the chance to complete his hat-trick late in the match when Bayern were awarded another penalty after Kamiel Van de Perre handled the ball in the box. This time, the striker went for power, but his effort crashed against the crossbar.
It was a rare miss for Kane, who had converted his previous eight penalties this season before this attempt. Even so, the miss did not affect the outcome, as Bayern comfortably saw out the match.
The victory marked Bayern’s 250th win in European competition and mathematically guaranteed them a top-eight finish in the league phase, meaning they qualify directly for the last 16 without needing to play in the knockouts. Only Arsenal have also secured that status so far.
The match was played in unusual circumstances at the Allianz Arena, with the famous Südkurve stand completely empty. Bayern closed the ultras section after repeated UEFA sanctions for pyrotechnics, including a €50,000 fine and a partial stand ban that was expanded to the entire section for this fixture.
After the match, Kane admitted Bayern had to raise their level after the break.
"I thought the second half was better. We were a bit sloppy in the first half and lacked energy. We said at half-time that we had to show more intensity, and we did that. We scored at the right times, got unlucky with the red card, but still controlled the game and got the three points," Kane said.
With qualification already secured, Kompany may rotate his squad for the final league-phase match against PSV on January 28. Bayern’s domestic campaign continues this weekend, when they host Augsburg in the Bundesliga.
Even with a missed penalty, Kane once again proved decisive — and Bayern are safely through, exactly as expected.