Bayern Munich lost 2-1 to Real Madrid in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium last week to bow out of the competition. It was a painful loss for the Bavarians, as they led 1-0 till the 88th minute before Joselu scored a brace within the space of five minutes to guide Real Madrid to a famous victory.
However, the defeat was not without controversies, as Bayern had a goal disallowed on the ground of offside, which could have acted as an equalizer had it stood.
Bayern failed to win the Bundesliga for the first time in 11 years and will have to go trophy-less this season. It is not what Harry Kane, the English captain, had in mind when he decided to join Bayern from Tottenham Hotspur.
Kane Has Had a Superb Season for Bayern
Kane has had a superb season so far individually. He has scored 44 goals in 45 matches for Bayern, which puts him at the top among all strikers across all the top leagues in Europe. On Wednesday night, too, Kane found Alphonso Davies, Bayern’s goal-scorer, with an inch-perfect long pass to the left flank that led to their goal.
In fact, the 30-year-old former Tottenham player looked the most comfortable of all the Bayern forwards while having the ball while Bayern launched their attacks on the counter. None of Jamal Musiala, Leroy Sané and Serge Gnabry looked as much at ease as the Englishman in breaking open the Real Madrid defence with their counters.
Thomas Tuchel’s questionable decision of replacing Kane with Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting probably backfired, as Bayern lost some of the control upfront. In the end, it was an unfortunate elimination for the Bavarians, as their chance of making the Champions League final an all-German one slipped away.
Bayern is Too Good a Team to Miss Out on Trophies for Two Successive Seasons
Bayern should be the favourite to win the Bundesliga next season, Bayer Leverkusen’s excellent upsurge under Xabi Alonso notwithstanding. However, the problem for Kane is that he does not have too many years left at the top. He will be 31 before the next season starts and might not enjoy the current rich vein of from for more than a couple of years.
Bayern is usually a stronger contender for the Champions League and hence, Kane should get a few more shots at the title. However, with the perennial presence of Real Madrid in Europe’s premier club competition and the ever-consistent Manchester City among others, winning the Champions League is not going to be easy at all.
As a result, Kane should feel that a chance was lost at the Bernabéu on Wednesday night. However, the decision to go to a top club like Bayern was still not a bad one, as it has given him the opportunity to play alongside a few top-class forwards.
Kane’s all-round game has also helped him to be at the fore of Bayern’s much-vaunted forward-line. The next season might turn out to be quite fruitful for him.