Tag: Harry Kane

Harry Kane’s 79th international goal edged England to a 1-0 win over New Zealand in the FIFA World Cup 2026 warm-up as the Three Lions’ FIFA  got off to an underwhelming start in the Florida heat on Saturday.

Kane flicked in Djed Spence’s cross in first-half stoppage time as England laboured to victory against a side 81 places below them in the world rankings.

“We’re here for preparation more than the result,” said Kane after his 67th goal of the season for club and country. “It’s the best shape I’ve ever been in my career.

“I’m excited, can’t wait for it to get started.”

New Zealand were thrashed 4-0 by Haiti on Wednesday but Thomas Tuchel’s men found clear-cut chances far harder to come by in their first experience of the brutal conditions in the United States.

Tuchel named two entirely different sides for each half, but there was little to read into his team selection ahead of England’s opening game of the World Cup against Croatia on June 17.

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“The energy is right and the quality will come,” said Tuchel. “The better the opponent gets, the better we will get.”

Kane typically made the breakthrough from an in-swinging cross by Spence, who impressed at left-back.

Ivan Toney replaced Kane among the 11 changes made by Tuchel at the break.

Toney thought he had won a penalty only for New Zealand to be rescued by a marginal offside call against the Al Ahli striker.

England dominated possession but could not add to their lead with the Kiwis happy to keep the score down.

Despite not having won a major tournament for 60 years, England go into the World Cup among the favourites having reached at least the quarter-finals in their last four tournaments.

They also face Ghana and Panama in Group L.

New Zealand will face Iran, Belgium and Egypt in Group G.

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Bayern Munich powerbroker Uli Hoeness called Harry Kane the “best transfer we’ve ever made” after the England captain’s hat-trick handed them a 3-0 victory over Stuttgart to win the German Cup final in Berlin on Saturday.

The hat-trick brought Kane’s goal tally to a stunning 61 in all competitions this season, while ending a six-year drought in the competition for the Bavarian giants.

Victory sealed a 14th league and cup double for Bayern and 21st cup success.

Hoeness is a former Bayern striker and long-time president who helped grow them into a European behemoth.

“Harry Kane is the best transfer we’ve ever made,” Hoeness told German TV, while confirming that the England captain would be at the club next season, despite reported interest from Barcelona.

“Bayern are a buying club not a selling club,” he added. “And Barcelona have no money anyway.”

Kane was beeming after Hoeness’s praise.

“To hear those kinds of words, at a club like this, we know how many great players have played here, it’s special,” he said.

“Going into this final, I felt like it was my responsibility as much as anyone to get us over the line.

“I know I’m going to get chances and I did again today. To score a hat-trick in a final is such a special feeling. It’s just memories I’ll remember forever.”

The England captain’s first strike was set up by Michael Olise from the right, who now boasts an incredible 30 assists in all competitions this season.

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Left winger Luis Diaz helped create the second and Kane added a penalty in stoppage time to complete a second-half hat-trick.

The double once again highlighted Bayern’s insatiable dominance of German football.

No other German club has achieved the double more than once.

This was the third time that Stuttgart were forced to watch on as Bayern celebrated this season.

Bayern beat Stuttgart in the season-opening Super Cup and also secured the Bundesliga title with a big win over the Swabians in Munich in April.

“We played an outstanding season and we can be proud of ourselves. There are worse things than losing to Bayern,” Stuttgart forward Deniz Undav said to Sky.

Stuttgart sporting director Fabian Wohlgemuth told reporters: “In the end, it was Harry Kane three times — so business as usual.”

Coming into Saturday’s match, Bayern had already beaten their opponents three times this season with a combined goal tally of 11-3.

Yet Stuttgart edged the first half, frequently troubling Bayern on the counter.

Stuttgart’s Maximilian Mittelstaedt and Chris Fuehrich, both left out of Germany’s World Cup squad, were particularly impressive going forwards.

Kane’s only chance of the opening half came in the 21st minute when he headed a cross well over the bar.

Early in the second-half, Bayern made Stuttgart pay for their failure to convert their first-half chances when Olise set up Kane’s opener.

The France winger tore down the right and delivered a low-flying cross perfectly to Kane, who leapt forward and headed in from close range, making sure he had scored in each of Bayern’s six games in the competition this season.

Moments later, Bayern scuffed a golden chance to go two up when Konrad Laimer blasted a rebound well over the bar with Stuttgart’s Alexander Nuebel on the ground and the goal unguarded.

With 10 minutes remaining, Kane made sure of things, collecting a Diaz pass on the spin and blasting a low shot into the bottom corner.

Stuttgart’s Angelo Stiller handled in the box in stoppage time, bringing Kane to the spot. The striker converted nervelessly to complete an incredible season at the club.

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Harry Kane will miss the Bundesliga match between Bayern Munich and Freiburg this weekend but should be fit for their Champions League clash with Real Madrid next week, coach Vincent Kompany said Friday.

Kane missed England’s friendly defeat by Japan this week with an ankle problem and has not recovered in time to face Freiburg on Saturday.

Bayern take on Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu in their Champions League quarter-final first leg on Tuesday.

“Harry trained well until Sunday, then he felt something in his ankle while with the national team,” Kompany told reporters.

“That will have an impact on tomorrow’s game — he won’t be available. Nevertheless, I’m positive about Tuesday. It’s not great, I’d like him to play against Freiburg, but as things stand today, that won’t be possible.”

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Bayern lead second-placed Borussia Dortmund by nine points in the Bundesliga and can take another step towards a second straight title this week. But they will be without Kane and his suspended understudy, Nicolas Jackson.

Bayern sporting director Christoph Freund also confirmed that Raphael Guerreiro will leave the club at the end of the season, with Juventus reportedly interested in signing the Portugal full-back.

“Rapha will be leaving us. It wasn’t easy because he’s a great lad, has played a lot of good games, is very versatile – a great strength of his,” said Freund.

“But we’ve always said that when we make a decision, we tell the lads, so that’s what we’ve done now.”

Guerreiro has scored 12 goals in 89 appearances for Bayern since signing from Dortmund three years ago.

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Bayern Munich sporting director Max Eberl on Monday confirmed the club are in talks to extend Harry Kane’s deal at the club.

The 32-year-old England forward, who joined Bayern in 2023, has a deal until 2027.

“We’re talking to Harry, we’re talking,” Eberl said at a Bundesliga event in Frankfurt.

“Everyone knows at some point a decision has to be made,” he added.

Club CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen said on Monday: “Harry has great confidence in us, and he feels comfortable in Munich.

“He and his family are settled in. Therefore, we’ve got absolutely no reason to rush.”

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Long without a team trophy, Kane broke his drought in 2025 when Bayern won the Bundesliga.

This campaign, Bayern are eight points clear in the league and sit second in the 36-team Champions League table.

Speaking in October, Kane said he could “definitely imagine” extending his stay in Germany.

Kane has scored 119 goals in 126 games for Bayern, while adding 30 assists.

In this campaign, Kane has 34 goals in 30 games. With 21 goals in 19 Bundesliga matches, Kane is on track to break the single-season league record of 41 goals set by Robert Lewandowski in 2020-21.

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Harry Kane scored twice in three second-half minutes as Bayern Munich saw off Union Saint-Gilloise 2-0 on Wednesday to reach the last 16 of the Champions League.

Bayern joined Arsenal in sealing a top-eight finish in the 36-team table with a game to spare, avoiding a potential two-legged knockout play-off round.

The six-time European champions sit second in the standings behind Arsenal ahead of their last league-phase outing at PSV Eindhoven next week.

Kane headed in from a corner before winning and converting a penalty to put the hosts firmly in control.

The England captain had a chance for a hat-trick but missed a late spot-kick, after Bayern centre-back Kim Min-jae had been dismissed for a second yellow card.

Bayern’s Champions League defeat at Arsenal remains their only loss in all competitions this season, in which they have also already opened up an 11-point lead in the Bundesliga.

Kane’s second goal was his 34th of the campaign, bringing Bayern’s total tally to 103 strikes from 29 games.

Bayern Munich were sluggish in the opening half, perhaps unsettled by the absence of their 9,300-strong ultra contingent, with the lower stand closed due to a UEFA sanction for setting off pyrotechnics.

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The best chance of the opening half fell to Belgian champions Union SG.

With half an hour played, an unmarked Promise David got away from the Bayern defence and had just Neuer to beat, but headed his effort directly at the goalkeeper.

Bayern needed a set-piece to break the deadlock with 52 minutes gone.

Michael Olise lofted the ball into the six-yard area, and Kane found space at the near post to head his side in front.

One minute later, Kane was felled by Union’s keeper Kjell Scherpen and stepped up to double Bayern’s lead.

Kim, handed a rare start with Dayot Upamecano out sick, was sent off in the 63rd minute, picking up a second yellow for yanking Raul Florucz’s arm as the winger went on the attack.

But the red card did not disrupt Bayern’s flow.

Kane uncharacteristically blasted a penalty against the bar with 10 minutes left, while Olise chipped another opportunity over with just Scherpen to beat.

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Harry Kane is considering extending his stay at Bayern Munich after the England captain claimed his interest in returning to the Premier League has cooled.

Kane has made a fast start to the season at Bayern, scoring 18 goals in 10 games to fuel the German champions’ Bundesliga title defence.

The 32-year-old, who has netted 103 goals in 106 appearances for Bayern, is under contract in Munich until 2027 and is “fully all in” ahead of possible negotiations over a new deal.

“In terms of staying longer, I could definitely see that,” said Kane, who has reported for England duty ahead of a friendly with Wales and a World Cup qualifier in Latvia.

“I spoke openly a couple of weeks ago that I have not had those conversations with Bayern yet, but if they were to arise, I would be willing to talk and have an honest conversation.

“Obviously it depends on how the next year or so goes and what we achieve together. Right now, I would say we are in a fantastic moment, and I am not thinking about anything else.”

When Kane left Tottenham in 2023, it was expected the striker would return to England to try and break the Premier League goalscoring record.

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He needs 48 goals to eclipse Alan Shearer’s mark of 260.

Tottenham boss Thomas Frank recently said he would love to have the club’s record goalscorer back in north London.

“In terms of the Premier League, I don’t know. If you had asked me when I first left to go to Bayern, I would have said for sure I would come back,” added Kane, who is reported to have a £57 million ($66 million) release clause in his Bayern contract.

“Now I have been there a couple of years I would probably say that has gone down a little bit, but I wouldn’t say I would never go back.

“What I have learnt in my career is that different opportunities and different timings happen and things fall in place. Going back to my first point with Bayern right now I am fully all in with Bayern.”

Bayern Munich sporting director Christoph Freund recently said his side are “probably witnessing the best version of Harry Kane there has ever been”.

Kane won the Bundesliga last season with Bayern, his long-awaited first major trophy, and that success has driven England’s record goalscorer to improve even further.

“When you win a title like I did last year, maybe it could be easy to go the other way and be like, ‘OK I’ve done what I wanted to achieve’,” Kane said.

“But it’s given me more motivation to do more and be better. I think I’ve shown that this year.

“I was interested in how I would feel after winning a trophy. Obviously, there’s still a lot more I want to achieve in terms of other trophies and bigger trophies for sure.”

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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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Harry Kane hit a hat-trick, Michael Olise a double, and newcomer Luis Diaz also scored as Bayern Munich made a “statement” against RB Leipzig 6-0 at home in the Bundesliga season opener on Friday.

Bayern’s big-money arrivals, all brought in from the Premier League across the past three seasons, were dominant as the Bavarians began their title defence in style.

Olise scored twice in the first half, either side of a Diaz strike. Not to be outdone, Kane scored three goals in the second half, with two assists coming from Diaz, to bring Bayern’s total to 6-0.

Kane told the Bundesliga website, “After we went into half-time 3-0 up, I said to myself ‘I have to get on that scoresheet’.”

The 32-year-old England captain now has eight Bundesliga hat-tricks since joining Bayern from Spurs in the summer of 2023.

Harry Kane was subbed off to rapturous applause with four minutes remaining as the defending German champions, winners of 12 of the past 13 Bundesliga titles, sounded a warning on the opening day of the competition.

Lauding his team’s “great start to the season,” Kane told Sky Germany: “We wanted to open the season with a statement and that’s exactly what we’ve done,” adding “we were on top in all areas and were clinical when we needed to be, so we can enjoy this.”

Bayern Munich captain Joshua Kimmich agreed with Kane’s assessment, saying “a 6-0 at home against Leipzig is clearly a statement, but what’s hard in football is to back it up in three days.”

Kimmich praised Kane as an “absolute team player,” telling Sky Germany the England captain “he loves to score but he sets goals up and gets back and helps in defence, that’s something special.

“He doesn’t just define himself with goals, and that helps us extremely.”

The defeat showed Leipzig have a long way to go to challenge for the top spots after their first summer transfer window under Jurgen Klopp, who took over as Red Bull global head of football in January.

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Leipzig captain David Raum called the match “a catastrophe”, saying his side lacked “mentality and willpower” in one-on-one situations.

Bayern were under pressure before the season opener after losing several forward players in the summer transfer window.

Pre-season, talisman Harry Kane told reporters it was “probably one of the smallest squads I’ve ever played in,” after losing forwards Kingsley Coman, Leroy Sane, Thomas Mueller, and Mathys Tel.

Diaz became the third player in as many seasons to join on big money from England after Kane and Olise, leaving Liverpool for Bavaria.

Olise continued his stunning start to life in Germany from last season, smashing in the opener after 27 minutes.

Diaz then arrived at the party, scoring Bayern’s second five minutes later, hammering the ball in off the crossbar from a Serge Gnabry assist.

With Leipzig reeling, Olise added a second three minutes before halftime, collecting a delicate pass from Gnabry before coolly wrong-footing the goalkeeper.

Sniffing blood, Kane scored Bayern’s fourth with 64 minutes played, turning in a Diaz assist.

After a Leipzig strike by Antonio Nusa was ruled out, VAR showed visiting centre-back Castello Lukeba had taken a free kick at the other end of the pitch with the ball still rolling.

Kane added two more as he scored in the 74th and 78th minutes.

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After a career marked by a multitude of personal accolades but devoid of any team triumphs, Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane stands on the brink of glory.

This weekend, as the final whistle blows in Saturday’s thrilling home match against Mainz, he could finally experience the exhilarating breakthrough of clinching a title.

If Bayern Munich beat sixth-placed Mainz and second-placed Bayer Leverkusen fail to beat Augsburg at home, Bayern and Kane will be crowned Bundesliga winners.

Bayern are eight points clear with four games remaining, so a first title for Kane is a mere formality.

But after losing six finals — three with Tottenham, two with England and one with Bayern — a debut title win would be a long-awaited reward for the 31-year-old forward.

After two decades at boyhood club Tottenham, Harry Kane moved to Bayern Munich in 2023, motivated by a desire for team honours.

While Bayern’s dreams of winning the Champions League in their own stadium this season flamed out with a quarter-final loss to Inter Milan, lifting the Bundesliga shield would soothe frustrations after a trophyless 2023-24.

Kane has rarely spoken about the title, preferring to focus on the task at hand, but in February, he revealed how much the pursuit of a team honour drove him.

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“There are many people who, throughout my career, only talk about the fact I haven’t won a title yet. It would be nice to silence a few of them,” Kane said.

Harry Kane would also join Kevin Keegan and Owen Hargreaves as Englishmen who won the Bundesliga.

Speaking with Sky Germany on Wednesday, Bayern powerbroker Uli Hoeness — a key player behind the 100 million euro ($105 million) decision to bring Kane to Bavaria — said “nobody deserves the title more” than the England captain.

Calling Kane “a real Bayern player”, Hoeness lavished praise on the striker, saying, “he fights, he works, he scores an incredible number of goals, but he also works hard for the team.

“You can feel that he absolutely wants to win this title.”

On Saturday, Eintracht Frankfurt can take a step in qualifying for the Champions League through a top-four finish for the first time, when they host RB Leipzig.

Frankfurt, whose only other participation in the modern Champions League came through winning the Europa League, sit three points clear of fourth-placed Leipzig.

Leipzig could fall as low as sixth with a loss, while seventh-placed Borussia Dortmund — who have taken 10 of a possible 12 points in their past four matches — are also within striking distance.

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Bayern Munich and Harry Kane head to Inter Milan on Wednesday needing a victory to reach the semi-finals and keep their dream of playing in a home Champions League final alive.

Inter’s 2-1 win in Munich puts the Italians in the box seat to reach the Champions League semis for the second time in three years.

Despite a bulging injury list, Bayern had enough chances to win the first leg but failed to make their dominance show on the scoresheet.

It has been a familiar story recently for the German giants, and in particular, star striker Kane.

In Saturday’s 2-2 draw against rivals Borussia Dortmund, Vincent Kompany’s men failed to make a glut of chances count.

If the German giants are to reach the Champions League showpiece at their Allianz Arena home at the end of May, Harry Kane and the forward line will need to find their lost killer instinct.

In their past two games, Bayern Munich have scored three times from 46 shots on goal.

Goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, centre-backs Dayot Upamecano and Hiroki Ito and wing-back Alphonso Davies will all miss the trip to Milan, hollowing out Bayern’s defence. Midfield creator Jamal Musiala will also be absent.

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Under-pressure central defender Kim Min-jae, who was hooked shortly after a mistake leading to Dortmund’s first on Saturday, is still nursing an Achilles injury but looks set to play on Wednesday.

Against Dortmund, Bayern finished with one fit centre-back on the field: English veteran Eric Dier.

Given the defensive woes, the need to convert chances becomes even more important.

Bayern Munich and Harry Kane had no trouble in the last 16 against Bayer Leverkusen when the England captain scored three goals across the two-game tie.

The 31-year-old has 10 goals in 12 games this Champions League season.

Kane told reporters on Saturday his side were “dominant” but “were a bit wasteful with our chances” against Dortmund, as they had been against Inter in Munich.

“We just have to be more clinical. On another day we would have got three or four against them (Inter). It gives us confidence because we know we can create chances against them,” Harry Kane said.

Bayern Munich are chasing the romance of winning the title on home soil and hoping to exorcise the ghosts of their 2012 final loss to Chelsea in Munich. To reach the semi-finals, Bayern will need a two-goal win, or victory by one followed by a triumph on penalties.

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