HARRY KANE BRACE SENDS BAYERN MUNICH INTO THE UCL KNOCKOUT STAGES

Harry Kane scored twice to secure Bayern Munich’s 250th Champions League win, despite a red card for defender Kim Min-jae.

Harry Kane brace sends Bayern Munich into the UCL knockout stages
Harry Kane hits 34 goals as Bayern cruise past Union Saint-Gilloise

Bayern Munich punched their ticket to the Champions League knockouts after a 2-0 win over Union Saint-Gilloise on Wednesday night at the Allianz Arena.

Harry Kane did most of the damage, bagging both goals, though he also missed a penalty. The first half wasn’t much to write home about—Bayern looked flat, honestly—but they got the job done after the break.

Things got a little messy when Kim Min-jae picked up his second yellow and got sent off, leaving Bayern with ten men for the rest of the match.

Still, Bayern kept their spotless home record against Belgian teams and notched their 250th Champions League win. Only Real Madrid has more.

Since the winter break, Bayern have shifted into a higher gear. Four straight wins, all competitions.

This victory keeps them second in the group with 18 points, three behind Arsenal, who haven’t dropped a single game.

Vincent Kompany switched things up from the last match. Michael Olise, Raphael Guerreiro, and Joshua Kimmich came into the lineup, and Kim Min-jae took Dayot Upamecano’s spot since Upamecano was out sick.

Bayern came out flying. Kane almost scored in the first two minutes, but Scherpen pulled off a sharp save.

After that, Bayern hogged the ball but didn’t do much with it. No real spark up front, not enough clear chances.

Actually, the best moment of the half belonged to the visitors. Promise David got a header on target from close range, but Manuel Neuer pulled off a brilliant save.

Christian Falk predicted an easy Bayern win before kickoff, but by halftime, it was still goalless and pretty frustrating.

Bayern came to life in the second half, like they’ve done all season. Kane broke the deadlock, rising above everyone to head home from a corner.

A few minutes later, Kane got taken down in the box and converted the penalty for his 34th goal of the season.

Momentum stalled a bit after Kim Min-jae’s red card. Bayern shifted to game management mode, just keeping the ball as much as they could with ten men.

Michael Olise’s shot hit Van de Perre’s arm, and after a long VAR check, Bayern got another penalty in the 78th minute. Kane stepped up again but smacked the woodwork.

Olise then set up a golden chance for Luis Diaz to put the game away, but Diaz somehow missed from close range. The crowd couldn’t believe it.

BAYERN MUNICH RULE OUT MARCUS RASHFORD MOVE REGARDLESS OF ANTHONY GORDON OUTCOME

Marcus Rashford is not a target for Bayern Munich this summer, as the club focuses entirely on signing Gordon from Newcastle.

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Bayern Munich excluded Marcus Rashford from their summer plans - Photo Credit: Getty Images

Bayern Munich aren’t considering a move for Marcus Rashford this summer, no matter what happens with Anthony Gordon. That’s according to a German reporter who’s close to the story.

Right now, Rashford is wrapping up his loan at Barcelona. He’s set to return to Manchester United at the end of the season. Barcelona have an option to make the deal permanent for €30 million (£26 million) in the summer. Both Rashford and Barcelona want him to stay, but here’s the catch: the club doesn’t want to pay the full €30 million.

Barcelona would rather keep Rashford on loan for another year or get him for a lower fee. Manchester United’s not having it. They want the full price, so Barcelona are starting to look at other players.

Rashford hasn’t made a secret of where he wants to be. Earlier in the season, he told Sport, one of the local Barcelona papers, about how much he wants to stay, saying, “Of course, what I want is to stay at Barca. It’s the ultimate goal.” He talked about the pressure and expectations at the club, saying they keep him motivated and that he feels like he’s in the perfect environment to grow and win trophies. For now, though, it’s all up in the air until next summer.

Last year, Bayern Munich actually showed some interest in Rashford before he went to Barcelona. But now, they’re focused on signing Anthony Gordon from Newcastle United for the left wing. The problem is, Gordon’s interested, but Newcastle’s price is ridiculous, reportedly around £80 million (€92.6 million). That’s much higher than what Bayern’s willing to pay. They’re thinking closer to £60 million (€69.4 million), and maybe with add-ons or an instalment plan. If Newcastle won’t budge, it probably isn’t happening.

Christian Falk, a trusted journalist from Bild, says Bayern aren’t considering Rashford as a backup if they can’t land Gordon. Bayern’s got a short list of players for the left wing, and Rashford isn’t on it. Gordon’s their main focus, but even if that deal falls through, Rashford’s not the next in line.

So at this stage, Bayern and Rashford won’t be coming together this summer, even if Gordon stays at Newcastle. That’s just not in the plans.

BAYERN MUNICH IDENTIFY ARSENAL’S KAI HAVERTZ AS TOP TARGET FOR SUMMER WINDOW

From North London to Munich? Kai Havertz emerges as the leading candidate to join Bayern’s elite Premier League-built attack.

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Kai Havertz emerges as Bayern replacement for Jackson following Chelsea deal collapse - Photo Credit: Getty Images

Bayern Munich still have their eye on an Arsenal star, hoping to bring more Premier League experience up front, especially after plans with Chelsea fell apart.

Right now, Bayern are among the best teams in Europe. It really depends on how you rank PSG, but Bayern’s up there, no question. Vincent Kompany deserves a lot of credit for getting them to this level. Still, you can’t ignore their recruitment. They keep picking top-flight Premier League attackers, and it works.

With Luis Diaz, Harry Kane, and Michael Olise, Bayern’s attack is lethal. Those three have already scored 100 goals this season. Defenders in the Bundesliga just can’t cope, and you can tell their time in England’s toughest league has paid off.

Bayern have another Premier League forward in the mix right now, but he’s not sticking around.

Chelsea deal off, Bayern looking at Arsenal.

On Wednesday, Fabrizio Romano made it official that X: Chelsea’s Nicolas Jackson will head back to Stamford Bridge this summer because Bayern aren’t activating his €65m buy option. Bayern’s director, Max Eberl, confirmed it, so that the backup spot behind Kane opens again when Jackson leaves.

James Benge reports that Kai Havertz’s name is coming up as a possible replacement. He said on the Inside Arsenal podcast that Bayern are definitely interested, “but nothing concrete yet.” Havertz could be the squad player who covers for Musiala and Kane.

Honestly, signing a German for Germany’s top club makes sense. Arsenal won’t just roll over, though, if Bayern come calling. Even after picking up Viktor Gyokeres last summer, Mikel Arteta still prefers Havertz up front. When Arsenal played Manchester City in their biggest game this season, Arteta benched Gyokeres and started Havertz.

Havertz has had injury issues this year. Heading into summer, he’ll still have two years left on his contract. If Bayern make a strong offer, Arsenal could think about selling.

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