Forward Harry Kane scored once in either half to guide German champion Bayern Munich to a 3-1 victory over Chelsea in their UEFA Champions League opener on Wednesday.
The England striker scored Bayern’s second goal with a 27th-minute penalty after an own goal by Chelsea’s Trevoh Chalobah had put the German host in the lead in the 20th minute.
Chelsea briefly rallied, with Cole Palmer pulling one back just two minutes later, but Kane, who has already scored five goals in three Bundesliga matches so far, struck again with a clinical low finish in the 63rd to settle the Bayern’s nerves.
Bayern, which crushed Hamburg SV 5-0 in the Bundesliga on Saturday, started its UCL season with a win for the 22nd consecutive time and continued its unbeaten run across all competitions, while Chelsea tasted defeat for the first time this season.
The Club World Cup winner, unbeaten in the Premier League, had an early chance with Enzo Fernandez in front of goal, but Konrad Laimer blocked the shot at the last moment.
Bayern scored with its first chance of the game after Michael Olise cut into the box and Chalobah, under pressure from Bayern’s Dayot Upamecano, turned the ball in for an own goal.
It doubled its lead in the 27th after Kane was brought down in the box and stepped up to convert the resulting spot kick. Its joy, however, was short-lived with Palmer, making his first start after a groin injury, superbly finishing a move he himself started in Chelsea’s half two minutes later.
With the host stepping on the gas after the break, the English side had keeper Robert Sanchez to thank for keeping the scoreline tight after he first stopped a Kane shot in the 57th and then sensationally palmed Olise’s effort a minute later wide.
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But he could do nothing to stop Kane curling in his low shot after some terrible defending from the visitors.
Kane, who has scored 21 goals in the Champions League for both Tottenham and Bayern, is now one of only three players with 20+ goals scored for two different clubs in the Champions League.
Bayern keeper Manuel Neuer, who became the oldest Bayern player in a Champions League game at age 39, had little to do in the second half and was beaten only once in the 90th when a defence-splitting pass from Andrey Santos sent Palmer through, only for his effort to be ruled offside.
Thuram grabs double as Inter Milan eases past Ajax
Marcus Thuram powered home two headed goals as Inter Milan banished the demons of last season’s final and won its opening game of the new group campaign 2-0 away at Ajax Amsterdam.
Inter was hammered 5-0 by Paris Saint-Germain in May’s final in Munich and came into Wednesday’s clash at the Johan Cruyff Arena after successive defeats in Serie A, but proved too strong for its Dutch host with the French international taking centre stage.
Thuram stole in at the near post, attacking Hakan Calhanoglu’s corner and getting ahead of the Ajax defenders to turn in a powerful header three minutes before half-time to open the scoring.
His second goal came two minutes into the second half from another Calhanoglu corner, but this time he was more central and climbed above the home defence to score easily.
Published on Sep 18, 2025
