Bayern scrape win despite Kane penalty miss after Champions League exit
WOLFSBURG, Germany, May 9 : Bayern Munich's Harry Kane missed a penalty as the Bundesliga champions failed to hit top form but still edged strugglers VfL Wolfsburg 1-0 on Saturday with a Michael Olise goal after their midweek Champions League semi-final exit to Paris St Germain.
Bayern suffered a 6-5 aggregate loss to holders Paris St Germain after their 1-1 draw in Munich on Wednesday, narrowly missing out on what would have been their first Champions League final in six years after they beat PSG in the 2020 showpiece.
The frustration was evident at the start on Saturday as the Bavarians, with six changes, lacked their usual attacking spark despite having top scorer Kane in the starting 11.
Kane then squandered a 36th minute penalty, slipping slightly before missing the target, for his first missed Bundesliga spot kick after 24 successful ones.
Video replays later showed a Wolfsburg player repeatedly stepping on the penalty spot before Kane took his spot kick.
Coach Vincent Kompany said had that been the case on Wednesday, Bayern's players would have been more alert in protecting the penalty spot.
"Maybe if that happened on Wednesday we would have two or three people around that penalty spot (to protect it)," Kompany told a press conference. "I don't love it that the Wolfsburg player does that but I understand the mentality.
"The main thing is we played against a team that was ready to give it all to win this game. We did not really start that badly but we quickly lost any momentum. Wolfsburg became more dangerous. Respect how my team reacted and how they played a much better second half," Kompany said.
The visitors needed more than one half to find their footing and they finally broke the deadlock with Olise's superbly curled shot into the top corner in the 56th minute.
The Wolves, sitting in the relegation playoff spot six points behind Werder Bremen, grew more desperate for an equaliser ahead of the final matchday next week and Bayern found more space, coming close again with Kane's low shot on the hour.
Wolfsburg missed their best chance in the 89th when substitute Mattias Svanberg hit the post with only goalkeeper Jonas Urbig to beat.
Bayern, who can still win the domestic double when they face VfB Stuttgart in the German Cup final on May 23, have 86 points. Second-placed Borussia Dortmund (70) and RB Leipzig (65) in third are already guaranteed Champions League spots.
Stuttgart are in fourth spot, level on 61 points with fifth- placed Hoffenheim. The top four teams automatically qualify for next season's Champions League.
