England captain Harry Kane was handed the highest match rating after breaking his 'Leverkusen curse' in Bayern Munich's Champions League win. 

Kane took his tally in all competitions this season to 30 goals with a brace in a 3-0 win for the hosts which makes them overwhelming favourites to progress to the quarter-final. 

A number of Bayern players were celebrated for their performance against the Bundesliga champions, with the likes of Jamal Musiala, Michael Olise and Joshua Kimmich all receiving rave reviews. 

But it was the deadly instincts of the 31-year-old Kane which particularly impressed the German publication Bild. 

'Leverkusen curse broken,' the report began. 'What a game from the England star. He hadn't scored in any of the three games against Bayer this season, but in the Champions League clash he headed the ball perfectly into the left corner in the 9th minute. In the 73rd minute he won a penalty and then scored. Kane gala!'

Contrary to the rating conventions used in other publications, Bild employ a three-tiered system, with Grade 1 the highest mark. 

Kane's first goal in three matches against Bayer Leverkusen may not be the only curse he will break in the 2024-25 campaign. The striker could finally get his hands on some silverware this term after remarkably missing out in his debut season in Bavaria. 

The former Tottenham star completed a move to Germany from his boyhood in 2023 in order to win the first trophies of his career. 

Bayern are eight points clear at the top of the Bundesliga and will be confident of progressing to the last-eight of the Champions League. The final of the competition will be hosted at their Allianz Arena on May 31. 

'We played well for one half of the round,' said Bayern boss Vincent Kompany. 'The second half will come next week in Leverkusen. We'll have to play just as well there to reach the quarter-final.

'We've now played Leverkusen four times and today was once again all about the details, even if the result doesn't look like it in the end.'