Spurs beaten by Bayern on Kane return to north London

Harry Kane returned to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium playing the last ten minutes as his current side Bayern Munich won 3-2 in the pre-season friendly.

In the most open of first halves, both sides could have scored numerous times.

But as time wore on Bayern, took control, going in at the break two goals in front, leaving Tottenham’s defensive stocks looking thin with Sergio Romero and Micky van der Ven not in the starting eleven.

With new signing Dominic Solanke paraded before the game but not signing in time to play, Dejan Kulusevski showed good form as a makeshift striker scoring inside the first minute, and again in the second half.

The moment Spurs fans were waiting for came in the 80th minute when their all-time top goalscorer Harry Kane came on and he went pretty close to scoring with two long range efforts against his former club in the closing stages.

Tottenham begin their Premier League campaign on Monday week at last season’s Championship winners Leicester City.

Talking Point – Could Solanke bring out the best in Kulusevski?

The addition of Dominic Solanke is likely to ensure Richarlison leaves Tottenham before the transfer window closes and the ‘Ginger from Sweden’ certainly did his best to claim a starting berth alongside the former Bournemouth man next week.

Admittedly, Kulusevski played as a central striker in this match, a role which Spurs’ big summer signing means he is unlikely to take on again. However, Solanke providing a more predictable and reliable (if less inspired) presence than Richarlison, could well see him dovetail with the Swede reverting back to his inverted winger role.

Tottenham are not without options on the attacking flanks with Son Heung-min (who looked a little off the pace this evening), Brennan Johnson and Timo Werner also hoping for starting roles.

Young Mikey Moore, a day before his 17th birthday, also suggested in his second-half cameo he may offer something in this role during the campaign, but it is the 24-year-old from Stockholm who will likely to get first dibs and, following on from a year when he netted a career-best eight Premier League goals, it will be intriguing to see if his chemistry with the new signing can see him take the next step up.

Player of the Match – Mathys Tel (Bayern Munich)

He did not get on the scoresheet but he showed he can be so much more than a stand in when Kane needs a rest. A danger throughout stretching the Spurs defence and showing the ability to play in his team-mates when in the final third.

Mathys Tel of FC Bayern Muenchen runs with the ball under pressure during the pre-season friendly match between Tottenham Hotspur and Bayern Munich at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on August 10, 2024 in London, England. (Photo by S. Mellar/FC Bayern via Getty

Image credit: Getty Images

Player Ratings

Tottenham: Vicario 7; Pedro Porro 5, Dragusin 6, Davies 5, Spence 6; Sarr 6, Bissouma 6, Maddison 7; Johnson 6, Kulusevski 7, Son 5.

Subs: Udogie 6, Romero 6, van de Ven 7, Donley 6, Skipp 6, Gray 6, Bergvall 7, Bentancur 6, Moore 7,, Werner 6, Lankshear 6.

Bayern Munich: Neuer 6; Stanisic 6, Upamecano 6, Minjae 6, Guerreiro 6; Kimmich 7, Pavlovic 7; Musiala 7; Tel 8*, Muller 7, Gnabry 7.

Subs: Ulreich 6, Kane 6, Coman 6, Dier 6, Laimer 6, Vidovic 6, Aseko 6, Aznou 6.

Match Highlights

1′ GOAL! Tottenham (Kulusevski) 1-0 Bayern An awful error at the back from Bayern sees the ball drop to makeshift centre forward Kulusevski and he makes no mistake volleying home with his left foot from close range.

16′ GOAL! Tottenham 1-1 Bayern (Upamecano) Tel was found unmarked by a free kick at the back post and though the Spurs keeper parried the effort, Upamecano tapped home the rebound from a yard out.

31′ GOAL! Tottenham 1-2 Bayern (Gnabry) Spurs could only clear the ball to the edge of the area from where Gnabry drove home.

44′ GOAL! Tottenham 1-3 Bayern (Muller) The ball was played to the far post and Muller got free of his man before stooping to head low past Vicario.

62′ GOAL! Tottenham (Kulusevski) 2-3 Bayern The German side played themselves into trouble gifting the ball to Bergvall who slid a lovely ball through for Kulusevski who sent the keeper diving the wrong way for his second.

Key Stat

62 – The number of goals Harry Kane has scored at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium (the record), but he could not add to it today.discovery+ is the streaming home of the Olympic Games, and the only place you can watch every moment of Paris 2024 this summer