Harry Kane’s ‘criminal’ verdict of Inter defeat at Bayern star admits to ‘stupid’ ballboy push
Harry Kane’s dream of winning the Champions League will have to wait at least another year after his Bayern side were knocked out in what he described as a “criminal” performance.
Inter Milan held a 2-1 lead heading back to the San Siro and despite Kane’s leveller in the 52nd minute, two goals in three minutes were enough for the Italians to head through.
For Kane, it means the wait for a first major trophy goes on and he lamented his side’s defending, suggesting the two goals they conceded were “criminal.”
“We gave everything to win,” the England captain said. “We had enough chances over the two legs. Conceding two goals from set pieces today was criminal. It completely shifted the momentum.
“We came very close. Football is about moments, they took theirs more than us.”
The defeat meant Bayern exited the competition at the quarter-final stage for the fourth time in five seasons, having not won the trophy since 2020.
Kane said that the expectation of the club demands that they reach at least the semi-finals but the 31-year-old said they must now focus on their league campaign.
“When you’re at Bayern Munich, you expect to reach the semifinals and final of the Champions League. We grew into the competition round after round. We knew that we could hurt any team in the world. That’s football.
“We can’t let this ruin our season now. We still have a Bundesliga title to bring back to Munich. We have a game in a couple of days, we have to get up and get back to winning ways.”
Bayern are six points clear of Leverkusen with five games remaining, meaning that only a remarkable collapse would prevent Kane from getting his hands on his first piece of silverware.
The Champions League tie took an ugly turn in the dying moments when Bayern’s Josip Stanisic shoved a ballboy after he refused to hand the ball back.
MORE ON HARRY KANEÂ ON F365
👉 ‘What an acquisition’ – Liverpool or Man City tipped to sign England star Harry Kane
👉 Arsenal, Man City ruled out as Liverpool implored to make signing they are ‘crying out for’ – Exclusive
👉 Liverpool: Harry Kane ‘open’ to be Arne Slot’s ‘surprise priority signing’ amid £100m ‘offer’ claim
The push sparked a confrontation between the German and the Inter bench with the player later admitting he had been “stupid” in making the move.
“Every team in the world, when they’re leading, plays for time at the end,” he said.
“It was a bit stupid of me to push him.
“At that moment, I was just angry.”
Inter reached the final in 2023 but have not won the competition since Jose Mourinho’s success in 2010.
