Harry Kane helped Bayern Munich automatically qualify for the last-16 of the Champions League by scoring both goals in the German giants’ 2-0 win over Union Saint-Gilloise. The England captain missed a chance at a hat-trick, however, as his 81st minute penalty cannoned off the crossbar. Bayern overcame the 63rd minute sending off of Kim Min-Jae, as well as the absence of their banned ultras, to secure the victory.
Kane centre of attention as Bayern qualify for last-16
The England captain opened the scoring in the 52nd minute, heading home Michael Olise’s in-swinging corner. Just three minutes later, Kane was felled in the box by Dutch shot stopper Kjell Scherpen. The 33-year-old calmly dispatched the spot kick, extending the German champion’s lead.
Just after the hour mark, Vincent Kompany’s side were reduced to ten men, with Kim given his marching orders for a second bookable offence. It was a harsh decision on the South Korean, who was deemed to have cynically pulled Raul Florucz’s shirt.
The Belgian side failed to capitalise on the opening, as Bayern controlled possession taking the sting out of the affair. Kane will rue his missed chance at another hat trick, when referee Rade Obrenovic awarded another penalty after Kamiel Van de Perre handled in his own box. The former Tottenham striker opted for more pace on his second attempt from the spot, lashing the ball against the bar. The Bundesliga’s top scorer had bagged the previous eight penalties he’d taken in the 2025-26 season so far.
Despite Kane’s miss, Bayern were largely untroubled in their 250th win in Europe’s top competition. The win guarantees Bayern’s safe passage to the last-16 of the Champions League, as they join Arsenal as the two teams to have secured a top-eight place in the league phase.
Why Bayern’s ultras were given stadium ban
The Allianz Arena’s ‘Sudkurve’, the area typically housing Bayern’s ultras section, was conspicuously empty throughout the tie.
Earlier this month, the club decided to close the section, after extensive pyrotechnic displays during the club’s previous Champions League home tie against Sporting Club.
Bayern were fined €50,000 by the UEFA Disciplinary Committee for repeated use of pyrotechnics in the south stand. The club had previously been handed a suspended ban covering approximately half of the ‘Sudkurve’, which was reinstated after the display against the Portuguese giants on December 9. The club took the decision to close the entire section.
A statement read: “As tickets for FC Bayern’s home games in the lower tier of the Sudkurve are not allocated by block and all 9,336 tickets are valid for blocks 109 to 117, it is technically impossible for the club to cancel only the 4,800 tickets for blocks 111 to 114. For this reason, all tickets for the Sudkurve will be cancelled in a first step, and the club will refund the ticket price to the respective purchasers. All tickets for the Sudkurve will therefore lose their validity and will not entitle holders to admission to the Allianz Arena for the game against Saint-Gilloise.”
Kane’s comments after Union win
Speaking after the game, Kane assessed Bayern’s performance. He said: “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”
What comes next?
With passage to the last-16 now secure, Kompany can consider resting his top stars, including Kane, during Bayern’s final league phase game against PSV on January 28. Their league campaign continues this Saturday, when Augsburg travel to the Allianz Arena.
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