England captain Harry Kane played a decisive role in Bayern Munich’s 2-1 victory over Boca Juniors on June 20, sending his side into the FIFA Club World Cup knockout stage with a game to spare.
Kane opened the scoring in the 18th minute, finishing calmly from 10 yards out following sustained Bayern pressure.
Boca levelled through Miguel Merentiel, who curled in a well-placed equaliser early in the second half.
With just six minutes remaining, Kane provided the decisive moment again — poking the ball through to Michael Olise.
The former Crystal Palace winger struck a composed, side-footed winner from the edge of the box to seal Bayern’s place in the next round.
“Big performance from the guys,” Kane told DAZN after being named player of the match. “We knew it wasn’t going to be easy and we knew we were coming into a hostile environment. It is great to get the goal and qualify.”
Kane added: “It is a massive tournament, playing against the best teams in the world, but it is us against us. That is the mindset and we have to compete at our best level. So far, so good.”
Bayern need just a point against Benfica in their final Group B fixture to guarantee top spot. That could set up a last-16 meeting with Chelsea, should the Premier League side finish second in their group.
Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea currently sit second after falling 3-1 to Flamengo on Friday.
The only concern for Vincent Kompany’s side was the sight of Jamal Musiala limping off midway through the second half, having only come on as a substitute.
The extent of the Germany midfielder’s injury remains unclear.
Boca Juniors’ defeat ended a nine-match unbeaten run for South American teams in this revamped tournament. The Argentine club still have a slim chance of progressing, but would need Benfica to lose heavily and must overturn a seven-goal swing.
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