People looked at the new Champions League format with some skepticism, wondering whether the change would actually bring better and higher-quality football. It’s too early to make such a judgment after just six matches, but what was seen on Tuesday night was phenomenal. Each game had its own story, but the craziest one came from Bayern’s clash with Dinamo Zagreb at the Allianz Arena.Right from the start, the German giant dismantled the Croatian champions with a 9-2 victory, with Harry Kane scoring four goals, sending a clear message to their competition that they are chasing the trophy. The England captain became just the fourth Bayern player to score four goals in a match, and in his 53rd appearance for the club, he reached an impressive tally of 50 goals.Not a bad night in the champions league! One to remember and another ball to take home! Let’s keep it going boys!! 🙌⚽️🎩 pic.twitter.com/l1fbZncy96— Harry Kane (@HKane) September 17, 2024 However, what grabbed the most attention after the game was Kane’s statement that the “players wanted to score the 10th and 11th goals.” This led many to conclude that the Englishman has quickly embraced the German culture of ‘respect’ for rivals. Recall what happened to Brazil at the 2014 World Cup when Germany crushed them 7-1. Back then, it was said that such a convincing victory was a show of respect for Brazil because the Germans didn’t ease up until the end.“We wanted to set the bar high at the start of the Champions League, and we succeeded. Only at the beginning of the second half were we not at our best, but after it went to 3-2, we shifted into a higher gear. We want to show that we are strong from the start of the season in all competitions,” said Kane, and he continued:“This is the first time I’ve taken three penalties in one match, and the coach asks us to be ruthless, and I think we were. We wanted the 10th and 11th goals, and we can be even better than this.”##NAJAVA_MECA_8343009##When Dinamo scored two quick goals after the break, Sven Ulreich made a brilliant save to prevent a shocking equalizer.“It felt like we weren’t on the field for those ten minutes. We have to learn from this,” Kane reflected.After the match, coach Vincent Kompany had something to say to those who doubted that managing Bayern was too big of a job for him.”I’d love to elaborate on the question. But it’s a simple job. I love working with the players, I try to improve them, I try to improve the team, I try to improve myself. It’s not really something I should answer. I could give you a deep answer, but it doesn’t really deserve it.” UCL: Kane’s penalty fest, Olise’s flair and Kompany’s dream start with his men scoring nine!Still, the Belgian couldn’t hold back and continued…”I’ll tell you something in a quick way just to prove a point. I was born in Brussels, my dad was a refugee who came from Congo. What are my chances of even playing in the Premier League, winning something as a player, playing for the national team? The odds were 0.000 something. Now I’m a coach. Do you just stop believing in yourself and what you can achieve because of what other people say?” Kompany asked.Kompany on the skeptics who were saying that the Bayern job was bigger than him: “I’d love to elaborate on the question. But it’s a simple job. I love working with the players, I try to improve them, I try to improve the team, I try to improve myself. It’s not really something I… pic.twitter.com/eQJ0i4Firi— Bayern & Germany (@iMiaSanMia) September 17, 2024 As he puts it, everything is in your mind.“The mentality is to keep going and in the end if you fail you fail, if you succeed you succeed. but you can always become better. Online you can always find stuff so I really don’t take it personal. What am I supposed to do? Stop because of what other people think? Let’s encourage people to succeed and break barriers.”Dinamo rattled Bayern early in the second half, and Kompany knows that such lapses must not happen again.“We stayed calm after those two goals. But that must not happen again.”
