- Bayern win again against Tottenham on Kane's return
Upon Harry Kane's return to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Bayern Munich successfully gained further momentum for their upcoming season start. The German football record champions won the second test within a week against the Spurs, 3:2 (3:1), six days before the DFB-Pokal game against second-division side SSV Ulm.
However, the audience had to wait for Kane: He only came onto the pitch in the 80th minute. The crowd rose to their feet as he was substituted in. Kane took over the captain's armband from national player Joshua Kimmich, who had been playing in midfield up until that point - and very actively. The Spurs' record goalscorer immediately shot dangerously from a turn (84.), but his shot from 16 meters flew over the goal.
Upamecano, Gnabry, and Müller scored
A week earlier, there was also a narrow 2:1 win for the Munich team under new coach Vincent Kompany during their South Korea trip in Seoul, without Kane on vacation. The Bayern team went behind after just a few seconds through Dejan Kulusevski, but it was not a decisive setback.
Dayot Upamecano (16.), Serge Gnabry (31.), and Thomas Müller (44.) with a flying header turned the game around before half-time. There were many changes in the second half, with Tottenham reducing the deficit through Lucas Bergvall (61.). Long-serving national player Timo Werner was also substituted on for the Spurs after half-time.
Naturally, all eyes were on 31-year-old Kane, who was playing for the first time since England's EM final loss to Spain four weeks ago. Both Kane and defender Eric Dier, who joined Munich at the start of the year and played in the second half, were officially bid farewell by the Premier League club before the kick-off.
"I've been at Tottenham for 20 years. The club is a part of my life," said Kane about his emotional return. He also mentioned that his back was no longer causing him any problems. Neither of the Munich transfer candidates, Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui, nor the demoted Leon Goretzka, got any playing time.
After the match, FC Bayern Munich's manager Vincent Kompany expressed his satisfaction with how his team performed against Tottenham Hotspur, particularly commending the performance of Joshua Kimmich, who captained the team in Harry Kane's absence. Following Kane's emotional return to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, he stated, "It was great to be back at Spurs and I'm looking forward to contributing to FC Bayern Munich's upcoming season."
