Munich, March 6: He’s done it again.
Harry Kane scored twice to steer Bayern Munich into the quarterfinals of the Champions League with a 3-0 win over Lazio on Tuesday.
Kane’s 32nd and 33rd goals this season for Bayern ensured the Bavarian powerhouse recovered from losing the first leg of the last 16 tie 1-0 in Rome to win 3-1 on aggregate over two legs.
“A perfect night for us,” said Kane, the man of the match.
The win will ease the pressure on Bayern coach Thomas Tuchel, whose premature departure at the end of the season was announced by Bayern after the team’s three-game losing run – including the defeat in Rome.
Bayern’s new sporting director Max Eberl said before Tuesday’s game that Tuchel would remain in charge afterward even if the team lost, but there had been a feeling defeat would bring forward the coach’s exit.
Bayern, which is 10 points behind Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga, was facing the prospect of just its second elimination in 12 appearances at this stage of the Champions League.
“If we had been eliminated today, it would have been more than unfortunate,” Bayern president Herbert Hainer said.
Kane broke the deadlock in the 38th minute after Ciro Immobile had gone close for Lazio at the other end.
Thomas Müller headed Aleksandar Pavlovic’s cross back for Raphaël Guerreiro to mis-hit it, and Kane threw himself at the ball to just head it past Ivan Provedel in the Lazio goal.
There was still time before the break for Müller to score in first-half stoppage time with a glancing header to Matthijs de Ligt’s shot after a corner.
Kane sealed the result in the 66th by firing in the rebound after Leroy Sané drew a save from Provedel. It was the England captain’s sixth Champions League goal this season.
The 19-year-old Pavlovic kept Bayern ticking from midfield with probing passes and measured play, while Joshua Kimmich dropped back to right back to help ease the team’s injury-hit defence. Sané had recovered enough to start after a knee problem kept him from playing in the 2-2 draw with Freiburg over the weekend.
Bayern forward Serge Gnabry entered in the last minute for his first appearance since December as he made his comeback from a thigh injury.
Bayern’s Club No. 12 fan group organized an impressive choreography before the game to show Munich’s heraldic figure over a banner saying “In the name of the city.” (AP)
