Kane Urges Bayern to Build Momentum After Dramatic Victory Over Madrid

Harry Kane has called on Bayern Munich to maintain their momentum following a thrilling Champions League quarter-final victory over Real Madrid, keeping their treble ambitions alive.

Holding a 2-1 advantage from the first leg in Spain, Bayern were initially stunned as Arda Güler’s brace and a composed finish from Kylian Mbappé gave Madrid a 3-2 halftime lead in Wednesday’s second leg. With the aggregate score level at 4-4, Madrid midfielder Eduardo Camavinga was dismissed for two bookable offenses—the second a needless yellow for time-wasting—and Bayern capitalized.

Late goals from Luis Díaz and Michael Olise secured a 4-3 win on the night, sending Bayern into their 22nd European Cup or Champions League semi-final, a feat only surpassed by Madrid (33). The victory also made Bayern just the second team to trail three times in a Champions League match and still win, matching Manchester United’s 4-3 result against Madrid in the 2002-03 quarter-finals, though United lost that tie 6-5 on aggregate.

With a semi-final clash against Paris Saint-Germain looming, Kane expressed confidence in Bayern’s ability to compete at the highest level.

"Beating a team like Madrid, especially in the latter stages of the Champions League, gives you belief," Kane told TNT Sports. "We’ve talked all season about reaching this stage and competing in all competitions—now is the time to push forward. At our best, we can beat anyone, and we’ll need that against PSG, one of Europe’s top sides. We have a chance to win the league this weekend, and a big cup semi-final ahead. There are plenty of crucial games to focus on."

Kane scored Bayern’s second goal, taking his season tally to 50 across all competitions—the first player in Europe’s top five leagues to reach that mark since Erling Haaland (52) for Manchester City in 2022-23. The England captain has also scored (three) or assisted (three) in each of his last five Champions League appearances against Madrid, the longest such streak by any player against the Spanish giants.

Madrid were furious over Camavinga’s dismissal, but Kane defended the decision, citing the midfielder’s deliberate delay of play. "There were decisions against us all game, but the rules are the rules," he said. "It was a clear yellow—I’ve been on the receiving end of those before. The referee had to make the call, and today it went our way."

Olise, who cut inside from the right before curling in Bayern’s decisive fourth goal, suggested his side would have prevailed regardless. "It was an intense, back-and-forth match," he said. "We knew they’d fight back, but we settled in the second half and took our chances. The red card came late—we already had momentum. Maybe it helped, but the game was going our way."

Bayern face Stuttgart in the Bundesliga on Sunday, where they could clinch the title depending on other results, before meeting Bayer Leverkusen in the DFB-Pokal semi-finals.