Bayern Munich coach Vincent Kompany: Harry Kane only getting 'better with age'

    Bayern Munich manager Vincent Kompany praised Harry Kane after his one-goal, one-assist performance in a 2-0 win at Leverkusen that booked Bayern's spot in the Champions League quarterfinals. stating that the star striker has only improved with age.

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    Kane, who leads the Bundesliga with 21 goals, scored his 10th Champions League goal of the season in the 52nd minute to give Bayern the lead. He then assisted Alphonso Davies for the second goal in the 71st minute.

    The 31-year-old England captain is now the first English player to score 10 goals in a single European Cup season.

    "It helps when you have a top player who is willing to run and fight for the team like a young player," Kompany remarked about Kane at the post-match press conference. "I played against him as an opponent, and he's only gotten better with age. He has a clear approach to his performances."

    "I trust in his consistency and his work ethic, and with that kind of quality, he always gets his moments."

    Kane, who also scored twice in the first leg against Leverkusen, helped Bayern secure a 5-0 aggregate win, setting up a quarterfinal matchup against Serie A leaders Inter Milan.

    "Beating this team 5-0 over two legs shows what kind of team we are," Kane said following the match. "We're now in the quarterfinals, which is where Bayern Munich should be, and we want to keep pushing forward."

    "We want to enjoy this because it's not easy, especially when playing domestic rivals. There's a lot of pressure, a lot of intensity involved."

    Kane also emphasized that Bayern wasn't looking to simply protect their three-goal lead from the first leg but aimed to apply more pressure on Leverkusen by creating chances early on: "In the second half, we knew they had to come out and try something, and we punished them."

    Before their victory last week, Bayern had been unable to defeat reigning Bundesliga champions Leverkusen in their previous six encounters across all competitions. Leverkusen had also knocked Bayern out of the German Cup earlier this season.

    "These two wins don't decide our season, but we have a lot of respect for Leverkusen. We did our job," Kompany said.

    "We executed well in the first 20 minutes and had the better chances. Our goal was to win the first half and then win the second half, and we achieved that."