Vincent Kompany has praised Bayern Munich’s Harry Kane, stating that the striker has only improved with age. Kane played a crucial role in Bayern’s progression to the Champions League quarter-finals, scoring the opening goal in their second leg against Bayer Leverkusen and assisting Alphonso Davies in a 5-0 aggregate victory.
Kane’s performance against Leverkusen means he has now been directly involved in 24 goals in 23 Champions League appearances for Bayern since last season, the highest of any player. Additionally, he is only the second Englishman to have contributed to 50+ goals in the competition, alongside David Beckham.
The England captain’s goal in the second half of the match was his 10th of the campaign, making him the first ever English player to reach double figures in a single edition of the European Cup or Champions League. Kompany, impressed by Kane’s consistency and work ethic, praised the striker’s contribution to the team.
Kompany stated, “It helps when you have a top player who wants to run and fight for the team like a youth player. I played against him as an opponent, and he has become better with age. He has a way to work towards his performances. I trust his consistency and how he works towards his game and with that quality you always get your moments.”
Kane’s impressive form also helped Bayern secure a quarter-final clash against Serie A leaders Inter, who defeated Feyenoord in their match. Kompany commended his team’s performance against Leverkusen, emphasizing the importance of their two wins.
Prior to their first-leg victory, Bayern had struggled to defeat Leverkusen in their previous six encounters across all competitions. However, they responded emphatically with a dominant aggregate win. In fact, their 5-0 victory was the largest margin of victory in an all-German tie in the knockout stages of a European competition since 1998-99.
For Leverkusen, it was their heaviest defeat to nil on aggregate in a European knockout stage tie. Only against Barcelona in 2011-12 have they suffered a bigger overall margin in the knockout stages of a European competition.
“These two wins, they don’t decide the season, but we have a lot of respect for Leverkusen. We did our work,” Kompany commented. “We did it well in the first 20 minutes and had the better chances. Our aim was to win the first half and then to win the second half, and we did that.”
