Champions League Archives

Arsenal thump Bayern Munich to stay perfect in Champions League

LONDON: Arsenal thumped Bayern Munich 3-1 in a clash of the English and German league leaders on Wednesday at Emirates Stadium to maintain their perfect record in the Champions League this season.

The Gunners dominated the second half after Bayern’s 17-year-old midfielder Lennart Karl cancelled out Jurrien Timber’s opener in the opening period.

Noni Madueke opened his goalscoring account for the Premier League frontrunners to restore their lead, and fellow substitute Gabriel Martinelli took advantage of a huge blunder from goalkeeper Manuel Neuer.

England captain Harry Kane, a former Tottenham player, had a miserable return to London, largely a peripheral figure despite his astonishing goalscoring record for the six-time European champions.

“Look at Bayern Munich this season, they have been the best team in Europe,” Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice told TNT Sports.

“This was probably the toughest game tactically we have played this season. The way they work it is so, so good.”

The England man said this season feels different from the previous campaign, when Arsenal again came up short, finishing second in the Premier League for a third straight season.

“There are so many leaders in the team,” Rice added. “We are just taking it one game at a time. There is a hunger and desire to win every game. There is a long way to go — let’s not get carried away.”

Bayern started the match at the Emirates top of the Champions League table, just above the Gunners, with both teams having won four games out of four.

The game took time to come alive, but the Gunners went ahead in the 22nd minute when Timber headed home a Bukayo Saka corner, with a flailing Neuer unable to intercept.

The goal underlined Arsenal’s relentless brilliance from set-pieces.

Eberechi Eze, who scored a hat-trick in Sunday’s 4-1 win against Tottenham, had a glorious chance to double the Gunners’ lead but scuffed his shot wide.

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Arsenal had looked relatively comfortable, but Bayern were back in the game in the blink of an eye in the 32nd minute, courtesy of Karl’s goal.

Joshua Kimmich played a superb diagonal ball that was laid off first time by former Arsenal player Serge Gnabry, and Karl finished confidently past David Raya.

Arsenal were quickly on the front foot in the second half, with Neuer pushing a fierce Saka shot over the bar.

Karl then surged down the right and into the home side’s penalty box, but his weak shot was easily collected by Raya.

As the intensity built, Arsenal’s Mikel Merino failed to connect properly with another dangerous corner before Neuer saved a Cristhian Mosquera header from point-blank range.

Now it was all Arsenal.

Neuer was called into action again, saving with his legs as Rice bore down on him, with Saka unable to turn in the loose ball.

But the pressure finally paid off with just over 20 minutes to go, when Bayern defender Dayot Upamecano played a stray ball that was picked up by substitute Riccardo Calafiori on the left.

He crossed, and fellow substitute Madueke turned the ball home.

There was worse to come for Bayern when Eze sent a long ball over the top, with Neuer well outside his area.

Martinelli’s first touch took him past the stranded goalkeeper, and he had a free run at goal, maintaining his nerve to slot home.

The delirious Arsenal fans taunted Kane with a chant of “Harry, Harry, what’s the score” as they revelled in his misery.

READ: Kylian Mbappe hits four as Real Madrid edge Olympiacos in thriller

Kylian Mbappe hits four as Real Madrid edge Olympiacos in thriller

PIREAS: Kylian Mbappe scored all four goals as Real Madrid hung on to beat Olympiacos 4-3 in their Champions League clash at Karaiskakis Stadium on Wednesday and end a three-match winless run in all competitions.

Chiquinho fired home from 20 yards to finish off a neat move as Olympiacos took an early lead in Greece, but Mbappe stole the show and took over as the competition’s leading scorer this season.

“It was very important to get back to winning ways, we know that three matches without that is a lot for us,” Mbappe told Movistar.

“(The team) looks good to me, of course, there are things to improve. At a club like Real Madrid (it’s normal) that people talk.”

The France captain drilled through the legs of Olympiacos goalkeeper Kostas Tzolakis to bring Madrid level on 22 minutes after racing onto a sublime ball in behind the defence from Vinicius Junior.

Mbappe struck again two minutes later when he planted a header low into the corner from an Arda Guler cross.

The forward completed the second fastest Champions League hat-trick ever as he ran clear and steered beyond Tzolakis again, his three goals coming in the space of six minutes and 42 seconds.

Only Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah, against Rangers in 2022, has scored a quicker hat-trick in the competition.

Substitute Mehdi Taremi, who replaced the injured Chiquinho in the first half, hauled Olympiacos back into the match with an emphatic header past stand-in Madrid goalkeeper Andriy Lunin on 52 minutes.

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The Ukraine international was filling in for Thibaut Courtois, who missed the trip due to illness. Madrid were also without Dean Huijsen, his absence adding to those of Dani Carvajal, Eder Militao and Antonio Rudiger in an injury-ravaged defence.

Madrid had never won away to Greek opponents on seven previous visits but Mbappe ensured the Spanish giants put an end to that sequence, turning in his fourth of the night after excellent work by Vinicius down the left.

That took Mbappe to nine goals in five Champions League matches this term, sending him three clear of Victor Osimhen at the top of the scoring charts.

“I’m very happy, it’s always a pleasure to score goals. My teammates are giving me quality passes. I’m very lucky to play in this team, with these teammates,” said Mbappe.

Ayoub El Kaabi halved the deficit with nine minutes left, but Madrid clung on to earn their fourth win in five Champions League matches, bouncing back from a loss at Liverpool in their last European outing.

“The important thing today was to break up, a little bit, the dynamic we were coming from, and to get back that (winning) feeling,” said Madrid coach Xabi Alonso.

The record 15-time European champions moved up to fifth in the standings with games still to come against Manchester City, Monaco and Benfica.

“We need everyone, and it’s clear that today Kylian stands out with the goals, but today it was very important to change the dynamic… and that’s why the players were celebrating,” said Alonso.

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Maresca says ‘nothing has changed’ for Chelsea after Barcelona win

Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca tried to keep his youthful side’s stunning 3-0 win at home to 10-man Barcelona in perspective by insisting “nothing has changed” for the Blues.

Tuesday’s Champions League triumph at Stamford Bridge kept the London club on course to reach the last 16 of the competition following a superb display of attacking football featuring a brilliant goal from teenage winger Estevao.

The 18-year-old Brazilian slipped inside defender Pau Cubarsi, then glided across Alejandro Balde before letting fly with an unstoppable shot.

Estevao’s strike came after Jules Kounde’s own-goal had put Chelsea ahead, with Barcelona captain Ronald Araujo sent off in the first half for a second bookable offence.

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Liam Delap scored Chelsea’s third goal, his first goal since their pre-season Club World Cup triumph, to send the Blues into Sunday’s clash with Premier League leaders and London rivals Arsenal in a confident mood.

“It’s a big win, especially because it was Barcelona, but nothing’s changed in terms of what team we are and what we can achieve,” said Maresca, whose side will cut Arsenal’s lead at the summit to three points with another victory at Stamford Bridge.

He added: “Now we focus on the next one. The feeling was very good. At home with our fans, it’s way nice to share this kind of moment. Now, next 48 hours completely switch off, have a rest, recover energy.

“We need to keep the momentum. It’s much easier to recover energy when you win games.”

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Champions League: Estevao stars as Chelsea thump 10-man Barcelona

Estevao scored a breathtaking solo Champions League goal to win the battle of the teenage prodigies against Lamine Yamal on Tuesday as Chelsea humbled 10-man Barcelona 3-0.

The two 18-year-olds were the focus of attention in the build-up to the game at Stamford Bridge, with Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca urging his player to ignore the comparisons.

Estevao’s moment of magic came 10 minutes after half-time, when he received the ball on the right, beat two defenders, and lashed it into the roof of Joan Garcia’s net.

It was the 10th goal of the season for club and country for the winger, just months into his first campaign at Chelsea.

The Brazilian said it was the best moment of his career so far, in front of his watching family.

“I don’t really have any words to sum up how I’m feeling right now,” he told Amazon Prime. “It really was the perfect night. I’m just grateful to God for everything that has happened to me. Onwards and upwards from here.”

Speaking about his spectacular goal, he said: “It all happened very quickly for me, it sort of happened before I knew it.

“I just found some space, wiggled my way through and then scored that goal. It was such a special moment for me in my career. I hope to score many more.”

Estevao’s goal gave Barcelona, already trailing 1-0 and down to 10 men, a mountain to climb and substitute Liam Delap put the game to bed in the 73rd minute, sidefooting home from close range.

The lopsided scoreline was just reward for two-time European champions Chelsea, who were superior from the first whistle against a pallid Barcelona team.

The game had started at a frantic pace.

Enzo Fernandez bundled the ball into the net in the fourth minute, only for the goal to be ruled out due to a handball by Wesley Fofana.

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Two minutes later, Ferran Torres seemed certain to score at the other end when clean through with only Robert Sanchez to beat, but he skewed wide.

The game then drifted before Chelsea again upped the tempo.

Fernandez again had the ball in the net, but this time it was disallowed for an offside and moments later Pedro Neto blazed over the bar.

But the home side’s pressure finally paid off in the 27th minute following a short-corner routine.

The ball was eventually whipped into the box, and Barcelona tied themselves in knots, Jules Kounde poking the ball into his own net.

The game took a decisive turn moments before half-time when Barcelona captain Ronald Araujo received a second yellow card for a poor challenge on Marc Cucurella.

Chelsea maintained their intensity in the second half and were richly rewarded with the goals from Estevao and Delap, while five-time Champions League winners Barcelona offered little.

The Stamford Bridge fans taunted the ineffective Yamal after Estevao scored and jeered when he was substituted late in the game.

Maresca’s men, back in the Champions League after two years away, have now won three of their first five games to give themselves a fighting chance of finishing in the top eight.

That would mean automatic qualification for the last 16.

The club are also picking up momentum in the Premier League, sitting second in the table ahead of Sunday’s home match against leaders Arsenal.

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UEFA approves Barcelona’s Camp Nou return in Champions League

UEFA has given Barcelona the go-ahead to play Champions League matches at their partially rebuilt Camp Nou stadium, the La Liga giants said on Wednesday.

The news comes just a couple of days after Barcelona announced their long-awaited return to league action at the stadium, which had been beset by construction chaos, after more than two years in exile.

The Spanish champions will host Eintracht Frankfurt at the Camp Nou on December 9, just over two weeks after reinaugurating the stadium against Athletic Bilbao in domestic action on November 22.

Barcelona said in a statement that “UEFA accepted the request, considering that all the necessary requirements have been met.”

The Camp Nou return will end a messy saga in which Barcelona repeatedly had to postpone their announced reopening of the stadium as construction delays and a failure to secure safety licences curtailed their plans.

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The Catalans were humiliatingly forced to play two matches at their 6,000-capacity Johan Cruyff training ground stadium in the first weeks of the season after failing to get the permit they needed for Camp Nou, because of safety reasons.

They have since then been playing in the 55,000-seater Olympic stadium on Montjuic hill.

Barcelona will open the Camp Nou against Bilbao with a temporary capacity of 45,401 spectators, with space for 105,000 when the top tier is eventually completed.

They opened the stadium up for 23,000 fans to watch a training session earlier in November as a test event in the reopening process.

The delay in the work represents a huge financial loss for the club, which needs the revenue generated by its stadium to regain stability.

Financially troubled Barcelona are estimated to be spending 1.5 billion euros ($1.74bn) on the rebuild.

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Newcastle sink Athletic Bilbao to extend Champions League winning run

Newcastle secured a third successive Champions League win as Dan Burn’s thunderous header inspired a cathartic 2-0 victory against Athletic Bilbao on Wednesday.

Burn struck in eye-catching style in the first half at St James’ Park, and Joelinton netted after the interval to wrap up Newcastle’s fifth successive home win in all competitions.

Newcastle’s dismal 3-1 defeat at lowly West Ham on Sunday left the Magpies languishing in 13th place in the Premier League and prompted a painful bout of soul-searching on Tyneside.

But although they have struggled domestically, Eddie Howe’s side have three wins from four games in the Champions League this season, with their only loss coming in the opening match against Barcelona.

Ahead of trips to Marseille and Bayer Leverkusen in their next two league phase fixtures, sixth-placed Newcastle are firmly in the hunt to secure the top-eight place that guarantees automatic qualification for the last 16.

Howe will hope Newcastle’s European success serves as a springboard for a winning run in the Premier League, starting at Brentford on Sunday.

“Really pleased with today. It was an important response to West Ham. I don’t think it was us at our best, but we’re in a good position now in this competition,” Howe said.

“It’s been good to have a game off the back of West Ham. We’ve put that away now. But it’s a bigger test when you return to the Premier League.”

Saluting Burn’s goal, Howe said it reminded him of the defender’s header in last season’s League Cup final win against Liverpool.

“It was very reminiscent of the cup final. It was from a distance. It was a training ground move, so well done to all the coaches involved in that,” he said.

“Across the board, it’s about consistency in our performance wherever we play. Now we go away in the Champions League. Marseille will be incredibly difficult.”

Newcastle’s lacklustre loss at West Ham had sparked accusations that Howe’s team are developing a habit of playing down to the level of their opponents.

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Burn added to that perception this week when he said, “everybody knows we will turn up” against Bilbao.

The England centre-back was true to his word as he put Newcastle ahead in the 11th minute.

Kieran Trippier’s free-kick picked out Burn in space in the penalty area, and he punished Bilbao’s slack marking with a superb header that curled into the far corner from 10 yards.

Even legendary Newcastle striker Alan Shearer, watching with a broad grin in the stands, would have been proud of such a sublime finish.

Bilbao briefly mounted a determined response to that blow and twice came close to drawing level as sloppy Newcastle conceded possession too easily.

Unai Gomez raced clear of the flat-footed Newcastle defence and fired against the near post.

With Newcastle on the ropes, Adama Boiro lashed a ferocious strike off the woodwork from 18 yards.

Howe’s men squandered a chance to increase their lead when Nick Woltemade climbed highest for a header that whistled wide from Harvey Barnes’ cross.

Newcastle suffered a blow when England winger Anthony Gordon limped off with a recurrence of a hip injury late in the first half.

But they ignored that setback to double their advantage in the 49th minute.

Barnes cleverly worked space on the left side of the Bilbao area and lofted a cross into the six-yard box, where Joelinton thumped his header past Unai Simon for his first goal in nine games.

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Liverpool ‘better team’ despite losing streak, says Frankfurt coach

Eintracht Frankfurt coach Dino Toppmoeller said that Liverpool have been “the better team in every game” of their four-match losing streak, as his side prepares to take on the Reds in the Champions League on Wednesday.

Reigning Premier League champions Liverpool are in the midst of a surprising slump, given that they bolstered their squad over the close-season to the tune of nearly £450 million ($604 million) worth of new signings.

Arne Slot’s team lost 2-1 to arch-rivals Manchester United on Sunday, coming after defeats against Crystal Palace, Galatasaray, and Chelsea. Liverpool had not lost four in a row for more than a decade.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Toppmoeller said that Sunday’s game “could have been 4-2 for Liverpool”, adding that the Reds “are not in top form, only in the sense of their results.

“When you watch the games, which of course we did, you see that they seem to lack a bit of a spark at the moment,” the 44-year-old said.

“But in every game, they’ve been the better team and have had more chances at goal.

“We’re expecting a world-class team tomorrow,” Toppmoeller said, adding that the English champions would arrive in Frankfurt highly motivated.

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“You’ve got to be aware of what it does to a team to lose four in a row.”

Liverpool’s last four-game losing streak came in November 2014 under former manager Brendan Rodgers.

One of the team’s issues is the dip in form suffered by star forward Mo Salah.

But Toppmoeller said that the Egyptian “was probably among the top three players in the world over the past decade — and still is.”

Another Red not delivering his best is Germany’s £100 million midfielder Florian Wirtz, who is returning to his home country for the first time since moving to Liverpool from Bayer Leverkusen in the summer.

Toppmoeller said that Wirtz’s performances were “quite decent, even if he hasn’t got the numbers he had in Leverkusen.

“He’s at a club where the spotlight is so bright and where people across the world are always watching.

“I’m incredibly convinced of his quality. I hope he doesn’t show that tomorrow, that’s something we should worry about.”

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Haaland opens up on Man City’s ‘miserable run’ in Champions League

Erling Haaland said Manchester City must show more energy to end their miserable run on the road in the Champions League after twice blowing the lead in a 2-2 draw at Monaco.

Haaland scored both the visitors’ goals at the Stade Louis II to take his tally for the season to 17 in just 10 appearances for club and country.

Monaco rallied to level through a wonder strike by Jordan Teze, and Eric Dier’s late penalty secured a point for the Ligue 1 side.

“I’m pissed off, I think everyone should be,” Haaland told the BBC. “It’s not good enough.”

City have failed to win away from home in Europe for a year, although a point did at least snap a run of four consecutive Champions League defeats on the road.

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Pep Guardiola’s men were dumped out before the last-16 stage last season for the first time since the 2012/13 campaign.

City scraped into the play-off round despite winning just three of their eight league phase games before a 6-3 humbling by Real Madrid over two legs.

Haaland was frustrated by his side’s approach as they tried to protect their slender lead in the second half in Monaco rather than seeking to kill the game off.

“Of course I don’t feel good, we didn’t win,” he added.

“We do something unnecessarily in the second half and we don’t think we played good enough. We don’t deserve to win.

“We need more energy. We need to get at them more as we did in the first half and dominated much more.”

City sit eighth in the Champions League table with four points from their opening two games.

Guardiola’s men face a tough run in Europe before the end of 2025 with trips to Villarreal and Real Madrid, while German teams Bayer Leverkusen and Borussia Dortmund visit the Etihad.

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Marcus Rashford bags brace to help Barcelona defeat Newcastle

Marcus Rashford scored his first goals for Barcelona as the England forward’s brilliant brace inspired a 2-1 win against Newcastle in the Champions League on Thursday.

Rashford struck twice in the space of nine minutes in the second half at St James’ Park to make a memorable return to England following his loan move from Manchester United in July.

The 27-year-old’s first goals in the Champions League since 2021 will have made for painful viewing for United fans, whose team have no European football this season and are already mired in a dismal start to the Premier League campaign.

Anthony Gordon got one back for Newcastle in the closing stages, but it was too late to salvage a point in their Champions League group phase opener.

Rashford fell out of favour with United boss Ruben Amorim last season and was sent on loan to Aston Villa in the second half of the campaign before being exiled to Barcelona for the whole of this term.

Once feted as the future of English football after emerging from United’s youth academy as a precocious teenager, Rashford’s career has dipped badly in recent years amid claims he is no longer focused on his career.

But Rashford’s vibrant performance on Tyneside suggested he could be about to embark on a long-awaited renaissance with Barcelona.

“It’s an amazing experience playing for Barcelona. I’ve always been a huge admirer of the club. We just want to win as much as possible,” Rashford said.

“I’m full of excitement. I’m very motivated and determined. The quality we have in the team excites me.

“It’s so refreshing to play with these players. It’s a new way of football, but I’m enjoying it all and it’s making me a better player.”

Off to a solid start in La Liga with three wins from four games, Barcelona were without Spain forward Lamine Yamal, who was sidelined for Sunday’s 6-0 victory against Valencia with a groin injury.

But Rashford’s double ensured Yamal wasn’t missed by Hansi Flick’s team.

“I’m happy for Marcus. We have a lot of good players and he’s one,” Flick said.

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“These two goals will help a lot to get Marcus to the next step. It’s so important he has the confidence and feels OK. These goals are unbelievable for him for the next steps.”

Beaten by Inter Milan in last season’s Champions League semi-finals, Barcelona haven’t reached the final since they last lifted the trophy in 2015.

But the five-time European champions are expected to be among the leading contenders this season, and this was a strong start to their challenge.

The defeat punctured Newcastle’s hopes of making a strong start on their return to the Champions League after they failed to make it out of the group stage in 2023-24.

“It was a good performance, but these nights are only magical for us if we win,” Newcastle boss Eddie Howe said.

“The chances were there in the first half. Against teams like this you won’t get many. We got punished.”

Newcastle enjoyed one of the greatest nights in their history when Faustino Asprilla’s hat-trick inspired a 3-2 Champions League group stage win against Barcelona in September 1997.

Almost 28 years to the day since that remarkable evening at St James’ Park, Asprilla jetted in from Colombia to watch Newcastle’s first clash with Barcelona since 2003, but it was Rashford who stole the spotlight.

Barcelona were far more effective after the interval and took the lead in the 58th minute.

Jules Kounde whipped his cross into the area, and Rashford easily eluded Fabian Schar to bury a powerful header past Newcastle keeper Nick Pope from 12 yards.

Rashford doubled Barcelona’s advantage in the 67th minute in stunning style.

Taking possession 25 yards from goal, Rashford glided past Sandro Tonali and unleashed a fierce strike that left Pope grasping at thin air as it flashed into the top corner.

Gordon set up a tense finale when he met Jacob Murphy’s low cross with a clinical close-range finish in the 90th minute, but Barcelona held firm.

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Harry Kane doubles up as Bayern Munich sink Chelsea in Champions League

Harry Kane scored twice as Bayern Munich beat Chelsea 3-1 at home in their Champions League opener on Wednesday.

Michael Olise pressured Trevoh Chalobah into an own goal with 20 minutes gone, before Kane won and converted a penalty seven minutes later.

Cole Palmer finished off a superb team counter-attack just two minutes later to bring Chelsea back into the game.

But Kane stepped up again midway through the second half to wrestle control back Bayern’s way.

“It was a top performance against a really good side,” Kane told DAZN.

“We spoke before the game that we’re playing the club world champions, and we had to be on it from the start, and we were.”

England captain Kane says facing Premier League sides gives him extra motivation to “play better”, and Chelsea were on the receiving end as he climbed up to 10 goals in just six games this season.

Asked if Kane’s goalscoring exploits made him the best in the world, Bayern coach Vincent Kompany said: “We can talk about talent and quality, but it’s the hard work that gets him to where he is.

“Based on what I experienced in the best years of my career, that’s a non-negotiable.”

Kompany was, however, eager to pump the brakes on suggestions that six-time champions Bayern were favourites for the competition.

“It’s one game. Steady on now. It’s just the beginning.”

Bayern captain Manuel Neuer, the last survivor from the 2012 Champions League final between the sides, won by Chelsea at the same venue, brought up his 100th win in the competition.

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He now trails just Cristiano Ronaldo, Thomas Mueller, and Iker Casillas.

Bayern have now won their past 22 Champions League openers dating back to a 2002 loss to Spain’s Deportivo La Coruna.

Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca said his side “cannot commit mistakes the way we did,” but added, “we can build something special from this defeat.

“There are seven more games and many more points to get.”

Maresca restored Palmer and three others to the starting line-up, having copped criticism for resting players in Saturday’s limp 2-2 draw at Brentford.

Bayern had won five from five to start the season but were caught off guard early by the visitors’ intensity, with Chelsea pinning the hosts back.

Bayern caught their breath and created some pressure of their own before breaking through when Chalobah failed to deal with an Olise cross, turning it into his own goal.

The hosts were soon two up as Kane struck from the spot.

Moises Caicedo gave away the penalty with an awkward tackle in the box, but helped Chelsea hit back immediately, playing a clever one-two on the break, allowing Palmer to slam home.

Bayern came to life 10 minutes into the second half, with Konrad Laimer, Kane, and Olise all having efforts saved in quick succession.

Kane padded Bayern’s advantage shortly after, pouncing on a poor Malo Gusto pass before sliding the ball into the far corner.

The 32-year-old was taken off to a standing ovation in stoppage time, with Chelsea loanee Nicolas Jackson coming off the bench to make his Champions League debut against his parent club.

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