Harry Kane netted a rapid second-half brace as 10-man Bayern Munich secured their advancement to the Champions League round of 16 with a 2-0 victory over Union Saint-Gilloise at Allianz Arena.
Kane, who had not found the net in Bayern’s prior three Champions League fixtures, scored twice within three minutes, bringing his season’s goal tally across all competitions to 34 goals in 29 games.
The England captain missed a chance for a hat trick when his second-half penalty hit the post, while Bayern defender Kim Min-Jae received a red card midway through the second half.
Nonetheless, Bayern’s sixth triumph in seven contests in this season’s tournament allowed them to surpass Real Madrid and reclaim second place in the standings, just three points behind leaders Arsenal.
Belgian club USG faced their fifth defeat in their initial season at this level of the competition and seem likely to miss out on playoff qualification.
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Bayern, who have extended their current unbeaten streak to 11 matches across all competitions, have scored a total of 103 goals this season, including 20 in their last four Bundesliga matches.
However, in their first encounter against the Belgian side, Bayern failed to score in the first half and were fortunate not to be behind before the break.
After nearly taking an early advantage when USG goalkeeper Kjell Scherpen made a brave save at Kane’s feet following a low cross from Luis Díaz, Bayern faced their first significant threat.
USG defender Kevin Mac Allister narrowly missed out on Raul Florucz’s superb delivery, and the visitors squandered an even clearer opportunity when unmarked forward Promise David directed a header straight at Manuel Neuer from directly in front of the goal.
Bayern defender Raphaël Guerreiro narrowly headed over from a corner just prior to halftime, and the German champions quickly netted two goals to gain control shortly after the restart.
Kane scored with a header from Michael Olise’s corner in the 52nd minute, and three minutes later, he converted his seventh Champions League goal of the season from the penalty spot after being fouled by Scherpen.
Kim received a red card for his second yellow card in the 63rd minute before Kane was presented with a chance to complete his hat trick.
Kamiel Van de Perre handled Olise’s cross, and after reviewing the monitor, referee Rade Obrenovic awarded a penalty, but Kane’s attempt hit the post.
Both teams will compete in their final league-phase match next Wednesday, with Bayern facing PSV Eindhoven and USG playing at home against Atalanta.
PA contributed to this report.
