LEVERKUSEN, Germany (AP) — Harry Kane is one step closer to being a Champions League winner, and he wants to enjoy Bayern Munich’s statement victory over German rival Bayer Leverkusen.
“To beat this team 5-0 over two legs shows the type of team that we are,” Kane told broadcaster Prime Video after scoring his 10th Champions League goal of the season in Tuesday’s 2-0 second-leg win.
“We’re in the quarterfinal now where Bayern Munich should be and we want to keep pushing,” Kane said. “We just want to enjoy this because it’s not easy. Especially when you play your domestic rivals, there’s a lot of pressure, there’s a lot of intensity that goes into it.”
Kane added that Bayern hadn’t wanted to protect its three-goal lead from the first leg, but instead wanted to put Leverkusen under more pressure by creating chances early on: “In the second half we knew they had to come out and try something and we punished them.”
Next stop in the Champions League is a quarterfinal meeting with Inter Milan.
“It will be tough,” Kane said. “The San Siro’s a really tough place to go but also, any team we play, we know that we can cause problems.”
Kane and Kompany
Kane’s career has been defined by an abundance of individual awards and a lack of team trophies. With Bayern leading the Bundesliga by eight points from Leverkusen and into the Champions League quarter finals, that wait could soon come to an end.
The coach who has got the best out of Kane and the players around him wasn’t Bayern’s first choice last year. Vincent Kompany isn’t getting carried away with success.
“I won’t surf on a hype wave, no chance,” Kompany said after beating Leverkusen on Tuesday.
He praised Kane’s contribution.
“It obviously helps when you have a top player who only wants to run and fight for the team like a youth player,” Kompany said. “That energy just helps.”
Leverkusen under strain
Xabi Alonso’s team is no stranger to a busy schedule — Leverkusen played 53 games last season, losing only the Europa League final — but the extra strain of the Champions League has seemed to take its toll on his relatively small squad.
Both Leverkusen and Bayern lost their Bundesliga games last week after their Champions League first-leg game. That defeat in itself was a blow to Leverkusen’s fading German title defense ambitions, but far worse was an injury to attacking midfielder Florian Wirtz, who is set to be out for several weeks.
Against Bayern on Tuesday, Alonso tried to shake up his tactics with more long balls and a starting spot for tall striker Patrik Schick, but the Czech international’s main contribution ended up being an involuntary assist for Kane’s goal as Leverkusen didn’t have a shot on target until the 65th minute.
Alonso has more injury concerns after defender Mario Hermoso was taken to a hospital for scans on a shoulder injury that forced him off Tuesday.
“We need to wait a while for what happens with him,” Alonso said.
