In a thrilling Champions League semi-final first leg between Bayern Munich and Real Madrid, England striker Harry Kane showcased his penalty-taking prowess, despite his international teammate Jude Bellingham's attempts to put him off. The match ended in a 2-2 draw, with Kane's spot-kick giving Bayern a temporary lead before Vinicius Junior's late penalty ensured the tie remained level heading into the second leg at the Bernabeu.
Speaking after the match, Kane revealed that Bellingham had tried to distract him before he stepped up to take the penalty in the 57th minute. "I don't know what he was saying. I saw him mumbling something," Kane told TNT. "Once I'm in that moment, I'm in my zone, trying to block everyone out. I'm sure he was saying something to try to put me off."
Later, in the mixed zone, Kane elaborated on the incident, sharing that Bellingham had told him after the match, "I know you're going to go left of the keeper." However, the England captain remained focused and placed his penalty to the right of goalkeeper Andriy Lunin, giving Bayern a 2-1 lead. "Actually, on the pitch, I didn't know what he said. I knew he was there but I didn't know what he said. But I went left anyway," Kane added.
The successful penalty extended Kane's impressive season tally to 43 goals from as many games in his first season at Munich. The 30-year-old admitted that while the campaign has not entirely gone their way, with Bayern losing the Bundesliga title to Bayer Leverkusen, the big games are the reason he made the switch from Tottenham last summer. "It's been a good season so far. It's just about the next game. Everything we're fighting for this year is in this competition. It'll be tough. We have to go there with full belief," Kane said.
Despite the draw, Kane remains optimistic about Bayern's chances in the second leg. "It's a little disappointing, once we got 2-1 ahead we had two or three good chances, especially from set-plays but this is a Champions League semi-final, we expected a tough game," he said. "Real Madrid are one of the best teams in Europe and they can punish you with one or two actions like they did today so of course we are disappointed we didn't get the win but it's all to play for next week."
Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti acknowledged that his side could have performed better but remained positive about the upcoming second leg. "Interesting game," he said. "We could play better. We didn't play our best. We had problems in the first half with a low block, too deep. We started to put pressure and it was much better."
Ancelotti also praised Vinicius Junior's movement and understanding of the game, stating, "Vinicius is starting to understand how it's important for him to move inside the pitch and not only close to the line. He learned really well how to move."
Looking ahead to the second leg at the Bernabeu, Ancelotti anticipates an exciting and open encounter. "You never know what will happen," he said.
The two sides will meet again on Wednesday, May 8, for the decisive second leg, with a place in the Champions League final at stake. Before then, Bayern travel to Stuttgart in the Bundesliga on Saturday, while Real Madrid host Cadiz in LaLiga on the same day.
