5, March 2024
Bayern Munich in quarter-finals of the Champions League 0
Harry Kane scored two to help Bayern Munich overturn a first-leg deficit against Lazio and advance to the quarter-finals of the Champions League.
Trailing 1-0 from the first leg in Rome, Bayern looked set for a frustrating night until Kane’s header levelled the scores on aggregate.
Long-serving Thomas Muller doubled the lead on the night with another header.
Kane made it 3-1 on aggregate from close range after Leroy Sane’s shot was parried into his path.
It was an impressive turnaround by Bayern, who have endured a bitterly disappointing domestic campaign.
Thomas Tuchel’s side were facing a first season without a major trophy since 2011-12.
However, this win keeps alive Tuchel’s hopes of delivering Bayern a seventh European title before the former Chelsea boss leaves at the end of the season.
The quarter-final draw takes place on 15 March.
Kane delivers priceless double
With 101 days to go before the start of Euro 2024, England captain Kane produced a priceless double to keep his side’s season alive.
He had already been denied by Lazio keeper Ivan Provedel when he pounced in the 38th minute after a clever move involving Raphael Guerreiro and Muller.
His 50th goal in European competition lifted the mood inside the Allianz Arena and was followed in first-half injury time by Muller’s glancing header after a rasping volley from Matthijs de Ligt.
Kane’s second sealed an impressive win before Muller hit the post late on.
The former Tottenham player now has 33 Bundesliga and Champions League goals since moving to Germany from Tottenham for an initial £86.4m plus add-ons.
He scored 32 goals for Spurs in all competitions last season (49 appearances).
Lazio were crestfallen at the final whistle.
The Italian club had arrived in Germany looking to cause a major upset but wasted a great chance to make it 2-0 on aggregate when Ciro Immobile headed wide shortly before Kane’s first goal.
Bayern have struggled under Tuchel this season after sweeping to 11 successive Bundesliga titles.
They trail leaders Bayer Leverkusen by 10 points with 10 games to go in the league and were knocked out of the German Cup by third division Saarbrucken.
This, however, was a rare night where Tuchel could afford to smile after a stylish win.
Source: BBC
6, March 2024
Champions League: Haaland scores as Man City cruised past Copenhagen 0
Manchester City enjoyed the perfect warm-up for Sunday’s crucial Premier League trip to Liverpool as they cruised past Copenhagen to reach the Champions League quarter-finals for a sixth successive season.
Ahead by two goals from the first leg in Copenhagen three weeks ago, any lingering hopes of a shock were ended within nine minutes as Manuel Akanji and Julian Alvarez found the net.
Erling Haaland went joint top of the tournament scoring charts alongside Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappe as he netted his sixth of the campaign – and 29th in all competitions – as City scored a third before half-time after the visitors had pulled one back.
The Norwegian, who Ole Gunnar Solskjaer reminded everyone Manchester United could have signed for £17m in 2019 on the Stick to Football podcast, has scored in three successive games for the first time since October.
It is good news for City boss Pep Guardiola before the Anfield encounter.
Guardiola had said in the build-up he would not be spending any time thinking about Liverpool until the Copenhagen match was out of the way.
That statement was exposed by the fact he made seven changes to the side that beat Manchester United at the weekend and then replaced key man Rodri at the break.
The changes did not hinder City, who are on the longest current run of successive Champions League quarter-final appearances. The only English club to ever have done better in the competition is Manchester United, who reached the last eight in seven consecutive seasons from 1996-97 to 2002-03.
Source: BBC