Individual brilliance helps “subpar” Bayern Munich to edge past Celtic

Harry Kane scored the winning goal in Bayern's 2-1 win against Celtic. (Image credits - FMT, License Details)

Bayern Munich managed to hold on to a narrow 2-1 lead to secure a win against Celtic in the first leg of the knockout playoffs in the UEFA Champions League at Celtic Park.

Despite the hosts appearing to be the better side on the night, they failed to take advantage of their chances to cause a major upset in this season’s UCL.

The Bavarians dominated in the first half and took the lead with Michael Olise's powerful shot late in the first half. Harry Kane later doubled Bayern’s lead with a swift volley, assisted by Joshua Kimmich, which turned out to be the deciding goal of the game.

Celtic deserved a goal with the amount of chances they created and finally got one with Daizen Maeda's header from close range.

The Scottish giants were quite wasteful in front of the goal in comparison to their opponents, who, on the other hand, converted the very few chances they got.

As per SofaScore, Celtic accumulated an xG of 1.37, while Bayern recorded an xG of 0.70, despite scoring more goals.

This win potentially keeps Harry Kane’s dream of finally winning the prestigious Champions League trophy alive, having lost in the final of the 2018/19 edition of the competition. The Englishman will also be eager to win the first trophy of his illustrious career.

Vincent Kompany's team has been inconsistent this season. While they were poor in the initial stages of this season's Champions League, they have still managed to maintain an eight-point lead at the top of the Bundesliga table, with Kane leading the title charge for the Bavarian giants, scoring 21 goals in the Bundesliga so far.

Celtic have also been brilliant under Brendan Rodgers as they sit at the top of the Scottish league table with a thirteen-point lead.

The two sides face each other again next week at the Allianz Arena, with the tie still left to be decided in the second leg.

Musiala, Olise, and Kane have built a deadly trio for Bayern

Bayern Munich have been average defensively this season under Vincent Kompany. However, their attack led by Harry Kane, Jamal Musiala, and Michael Olise, has been in tremendous form.

The England captain is once again amongst the top scorers in Europe with 29 goals in 29 appearances, leading the charge to win his first ever silverware this season.

Kane, Musiala, and Olise have been tearing it apart in the Bundesliga. (Image credits - FMT, License Details)

New signing Michael Olise has also been a massive hit in his debut season, having scored 11 goals and provided 9 assists in just 32 appearances in all competitions.

Many pundits and experts doubted Olise's caliber as he joined from Crystal Palace, who are a mid-table club in the Premier League.

However, the Frenchman has proved his doubters wrong and cemented his spot in Bayern's starting XI while forming a formidable attack force with Kane and Musiala.