Kane brace his 'most important' for Bayern

Harry Kane said his two goals in Wednesday's 3-0 win over Bayer Leverkusen in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie were probably the most important so far for Bayern Munich.

Kane's ninth-minute header and second-half penalty put Bayern in control of the tie ahead of next week's return leg against the German champion, and on track for the quarterfinals.

The 31-year-old, who is still searching for a first team trophy in his career, did not win any silverware last season — his first at Bayern — but kept his team's dream alive of playing in the final in Munich in May.

Asked if the goals were his most important so far, Kane said: "Probably, I'd say so."

"We knew what it was going to be going into this game. We knew the hype around this game, and we stayed calm — I stayed calm.

"It was nice to score quite early in the game, and then to get the second one to top it off — but, as always, I look forward to the next one."

Kane has 75 goals in 79 games in all competitions since joining Bayern from Spurs in the summer of 2023.

Coming into Wednesday's match, Bayern had not beaten Leverkusen since Xabi Alonso took charge there, drawing three and losing three.

"It was a really big step in the right direction. We've struggled against this side over the last couple of years, but, from the first minute, we brought focus and intensity," Kane told DAZN.

"They'll believe they can turn it around, and we have to go with the same mindset we had today and get through."

Bayern coach Vincent Kompany was calm after the match, saying it was "only halftime", and that he would not enjoy the result until a quarterfinal spot was secure.

"This game was, until now, the most important game of our season," he said.

"On Tuesday, we go again and, then, I hope another important game will come along.

"We're staying calm and ready for what comes."

One gray cloud for the German giant was an injury to captain and goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, who had to go off and was replaced by 21-year-old Bayern debutant Jonas Urbig.