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Champions League: Meet Harry Kane, the all-rounder
Goal, assist, goal kick, the Bayern start does it all in 2-2 draw with Arsenal
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David Raya had made him wait. Harry Kane responded by taking even longer for the penalty. This felt like Sourav Ganguly and Steve Waugh in 2001, with the India captain getting his Australian counter-part worked up by arriving late for the toss.
Kane has missed penalties on big nights: the 2022 World Cup quarter-final and the recent Nations League match against Spain are but two. But at Allianz Arena, its roof rimmed by red lights and throbbing with anticipation, Kane conveyed a sense of calm. Raya moved late but with a start-stop routine and looking up to see which way the Arsenal goalie was going, Kane blasted the shot to put Bayern Munich ahead.
Trailing through Eberechi Eze’s brilliant 25th minute finish from an equally brilliant pass by Martin Odegaard, Bayern equalised through Alphonso Davies 10 minutes later and took the lead in the 61st minute. Kane had won the penalty, his shot hitting Jurrien Timber’s hand. This was the 10th consecutive Champions League match in which Kane has scored. Only Cristiano Ronaldo (11) has more.
Declan Rice bursting through after slick one-touch play with Noni Madueke and Viktor Gyokeres made it 2-2 in the 82nd minute.
It was Kane’s pass that led to Bayern’s first goal. Bayern moved the ball on the right from a throw-in before it reached Kane. He spotted Davies and played a pass on the inside of Timber that was perfect for the left-side attacker to run onto and score.
This was the kind of pass Kane played for Son Heung-min at Tottenham Hotspur, their 47 goals are a Premier League record for most goal combinations by two players. In his last season at Spurs, Kane produced a masterclass at Manchester City. One of the goals came from a Kane pass to Son who found Dejan Kulusevski. Kane scored the other two in the 3-2 win
Changing countries and clubs, Kane’s passing range remains as good if not better. Last season, against Paris St-Germain, he found Luis Diaz after dropping deep for a goal.
Wednesday’s match in Munich started with Kane holding his run to lose Ezri Konsa. Six minutes in, he was jogging back to where Bayern’s centre-backs would be.
As Arsenal tried to catch Bayern by going long on the wings, Kane had a touch in the penalty box. His. That was in the 17th minute. In the 19th, he tried to find Serge Gnabry on the right. In the 21st, he took a quick goal kick to catch Arsenal off guard. Kane found Davies who passed to Ismael Saibari who played Gnabry through and it needed a strong save from Raya.
“All these small details can have a massive impact come the end of the game,” Kane told CBS Sport.
As per Opta, Kane is the first player to score, provide an assist and take a goalkick in the Champions League since detailed data collection began in 2003-04. This was Kane’s 16th goal against Arsenal and his 156th in 158 matches since joining Bayern in 2023. For club and country, Erling Haaland has 18 goals and no assists this season. Kane has 16 goals and five assists.
“If the sea’s deep, the fish can breathe,” Andrea Pirlo said in “I Think, Therefore I Play.”
He was making the point about a playmaker operating from in front of his defence. Kane is going deeper as Bayern use his ability to send the ball accurately over long distances. Slipping into defence can also lead to opponents losing shape in trying to follow him, Kane has said.
“All of a sudden, you are a centre-back and you are playing as the highest presser,” Kane told The Athletic.
With Joshua Kimmich missing due to personal reasons, Michael Olise suspended and Jamal Musiala injured, Bayern benefitted from Kane stepping into midfield. It also meant Arsenal had to deal with an extra player there and Konsa was booked for a foul on Kane near the halfway line. In the 72nd minute, Kane collected from near Bayern’s penalty area and ran till the centre-line before releasing Davies. Two minutes later, Kane headed out an Odegaard free-kick from the edge of Bayern’s penalty area. An all-action striker.
One who as a six-year-old had agreed to play in goal. Kane’s career has been forged by hard work. Under Mauricio Pochettino and then Jose Mourinho, Kane changed from being able to play with his back to goal and wait in the penalty area to one who is more mobile and can press. His passing ability stems from playing as a midfielder in youth football. “A machine and also a gentleman,” Diaz has said of Kane. When Bukayo Saka was injured, it was Kane who wanted the game to stop before Arsenal did.
Both sides of Manchester wanted him but he went to Bayern and Uli Hoeness has rated Kane their best signing. You don’t need to be a World Cup and European championship winner or a former Bayern president like Hoeness to understand why.
