Harry Kane marked his return from injury with a decisive performance for Bayern Munich, scoring one goal and assisting another in a 2-1 victory over Real Madrid in the Champions League quarterfinal first leg on Tuesday.
Kylian Mbappe pulled one back for Madrid after Bayern had established a two-goal lead at the Santiago Bernabeu. Veteran goalkeeper Manuel Neuer made several crucial saves to preserve the German side’s advantage.
Kane had been a game-day decision after missing Bayern’s Bundesliga match last weekend due to an ankle injury.
"We knew coming to Madrid to get a result would be tough," Kane told TNT Sports. "We played some really good football and could have done even better, maybe the final ball, the final finish, but credit to Madrid as well."
The win gives Bayern a crucial edge heading into the second leg in Germany next week as it aims to reach the Champions League semifinals for the first time since being eliminated by Madrid in 2023-24.
"We are still alive, clearly," Madrid coach Alvaro Arbeloa said. "We are one goal away. We have shown that we can win anywhere. We showed it with the scoring chances that we had against an opponent we knew was going to make it difficult for us."
Arsenal won 1-0 at Sporting Lisbon in the other quarterfinal on Tuesday.
On Wednesday, Barcelona will host Spanish rival Atletico Madrid, and Liverpool will visit defending champion Paris Saint-Germain.
Madrid and Bayern are playing their sixth knockout-stage meeting in 14 seasons, with the Spanish club having won four of their five two-leg matchups since 2011-12.
Kane participated in the buildup of Bayern’s first goal in the 41st minute, exchanging passes with Serge Gnabry, who fed a through ball to Luis Diaz inside the area. The Colombian forward calmly sent a low shot past Madrid goalkeeper Andriy Lunin.
Kane scored in the 46th with a one-timer from the top of the area, finding the corner with a low strike. It was his 11th Champions League goal, matching his best scoring season in the tournament. He finished 2024-25 with 11 goals.
Kane has scored 22 Champions League goals since the start of the 2024-25 season, the most of any player.
Mbappe scored his 20th Champions League goal since the start of the 2024-25 season in the 74th minute, finishing from close range after a pinpoint low cross from Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Mbappe leads the scoring this season with 14 goals, double his total from last season. He is three goals shy of the single-season Champions League record set by Cristiano Ronaldo with Madrid in 2013-14.
Vinicius Junior had one of Madrid’s best chances in a one-on-one with Neuer in the 61st, but the Brazilian forward could not get past the Bayern goalkeeper, and his shot hit the outside of the net. A few minutes later, Neuer, who made nine saves in total and was named man of the match, dove to his right to stop a shot from Mbappe.
Neuer had already made two difficult saves in the first half on attempts by Mbappe and Vinicius.
"I had the feeling he was in very good shape and we needed him, not only for his experience, but his quality," Bayern coach Vincent Kompany said of the 40-year-old Neuer. "He reacted in very difficult stages of this game. With his work rate in training, I’m not surprised."
Madrid defender Alvaro Carreras made a goal-line clearance on a shot by Dayot Upamecano in the first half.
A bad touch by Carreras near midfield led to Bayern's second goal.
"We went out for the second half and they immediately scored," Madrid defender Antonio Rudiger said. "I’d say we gifted Bayern both their goals here. We need to do better."
Bayern lost to Inter Milan in the quarterfinals last season. Record 15-time European champion Madrid was eliminated by Arsenal in the last eight last year.
Bayern is unbeaten in its last 14 games in all competitions, with 12 wins. Madrid was coming off a 2-1 loss at Mallorca on Saturday that hurt its La Liga title hopes.
