Kane delighted to avoid fixture congestion after Bayern secure last 16 berth

Harry Kane is looking forward to a lighter load in February after Bayern Munich secured their place in the last 16 of the Champions League.

Runaway Bundesliga leaders Bayern beat Union Saint-Gilloise 2-0 on Wednesday to guarantee their spot in the top eight of the league-phase standings with one game to spare.

A lacklustre first-half display made way for a much-improved performance after the break, with Kane scoring twice in the space of three minutes, although Kim Min-jae was sent off.

Bayern failed to finish in the top eight last term, meaning they had to play against Celtic in a two-legged play-off, which they won 3-2 on aggregate.

And Kane is hoping that by avoiding the extra fixtures next month, Bayern will be fresher across the second half of the season.

“That was an important win. The second half was better,” Kane said, as quoted by Bayern’s official website.

“We were a bit sloppy with the ball in the first half and didn’t have enough energy against the ball. It was clear at half-time that we wanted to come out with more intensity, and we showed that.

“We scored at the right time, had some bad luck with the red card but also controlled the game a man down. All in all, a good three points.

“It’s important we’re through to the last 16. We didn’t manage that last year, meaning we had a packed February. So, we’re proud that we’ve secured qualification. We’ve got one game left and want to finish as high up as possible.”

150 – Aleksandar Pavlovic completed 150 successful passes against Union St. Gilloise, setting a new record for a @FCBayernEN player in a UEFA Champions League match on record (since 2003-04). Dissected. pic.twitter.com/ts5AH9hPrY

— OptaFranz (@OptaFranz) January 21, 2026

Kane has been directly involved in 32 goals in 32 Champions League games for Bayern (26 goals, six assists); the most by any player in the competition since the start of the 2023-24 campaign. His 26 goals are the joint-most in this period, along with Kylian Mbappe.

It marked Bayern’s 60th home victory to nil in the Champions League, which is the most by any team in the competition, overtaking Real Madrid (59).

“Despite the red card in the second half, we actually played very well,” Vincent Kompany said.

“I feel we definitely stepped things up after half-time. The team reacted well again. It wasn’t enough in the first half, but much better after that.

“The opponent threw all they had in the first half. They’re fresh and have a lot of energy. It’s not just the case with Bayern.

“I also played for other clubs that were dominant. You often only manage to break through in the second half. The result isn’t always settled in the first half. But still, we have to say our first half can be better.

“We weren’t at our highest level. But you also can’t forget that we’re playing every two or three days at the moment. We’re doing an outstanding job there and winning our games. We kept a clean sheet today. You need to take that into account, too.”

Bayern travel to PSV next week, with that match wedged between Bundesliga fixtures against Augsburg and Hamburg.