Harry Kane netted two quick goals in the second half as 10-man Bayern Munich secured a 2-0 victory over Union Saint-Gilloise at Allianz Arena, moving them into the Champions League round of 16.
After going three Champions League matches without a goal, Kane struck twice in a span of three minutes, raising his total to 34 goals in 29 appearances this season.
The England captain missed the opportunity for a hat trick when his penalty hit the post in the second half, while Bayern’s Kim Min-Jae received a red card midway through the second half.
Despite the challenges, Bayern’s victory marked their sixth win in seven Champions League matches, allowing them to leapfrog Real Madrid into second place in the standings, now just three points behind leaders Arsenal.
For USG, this defeat marks their fifth loss in their inaugural season at this level, casting doubt on their chances of advancing to the playoffs.
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Bayern, maintaining an unbeaten streak of 11 matches across all competitions, has tallied 103 goals this season, with 20 coming in their last four Bundesliga games.
However, in the first half of this match, Bayern failed to score and were fortunate not to trail at the break. USG’s goalkeeper Kjell Scherpen denied Kane early on, and USG’s Kevin Mac Allister nearly capitalized on a great cross, while striker Promise David squandered a clear chance, heading directly at Manuel Neuer.
Bayern’s Raphaël Guerreiro narrowly missed with a header just before half-time, but they quickly took control after the break.
Kane opened the scoring in the 52nd minute with a header from Michael Olise’s corner, and just three minutes later, he converted a penalty for his seventh goal of the Champions League season after being fouled by Scherpen.
Kim received his second yellow card in the 63rd minute, allowing Kane a chance to claim his hat trick after a handball from Kamiel Van de Perre led to another penalty. Unfortunately, Kane’s shot struck the post.
Both teams are set to play their final league-phase match next Wednesday, with Bayern facing PSV Eindhoven and USG hosting Atalanta.
PA contributed to this report.