Kane Double Sinks Chelsea as Bayern Start Champions League Campaign in Style
By Kamal Yalwa: September 17, 2025 MUNICH – Bayern Munich kicked off their UEFA Champions League campaign with a commanding 3-1 win over Chelsea at the Allianz Arena, thanks to a brace from Harry Kane and an own goal from Trevoh Chalobah. The result sees Bayern move into the top three of their group, while Chelsea slump to the bottom five across the wider group stage rankings after a disappointing start to their European campaign. The scoring began when a dangerous cross from Michael Olise led to an unfortunate own goal by Chalobah, giving Bayern the early advantage. Kane then doubled the lead with a composed finish before capitalising on a defensive error from Malo Gusto to add a third. Cole Palmer managed to pull one back for Chelsea just minutes after Bayern’s third, offering a brief glimmer of hope. The midfielder thought he had grabbed a second late on, but his goal was ruled out for offside by VAR, sealing Chelsea’s fate. This marks Chelsea’s second consecutive defeat in a Champions League opening match, following their 2022–23 loss to Dinamo Zagreb. Remarkably, it’s as many Matchday 1 defeats as they suffered in their previous 18 Champions League campaigns combined (W11 D5 L2). The loss raises early questions for the London side, who will need a swift response in their next group fixture to avoid falling further behind in an already competitive group. Live commentary from the Allianz Arena was provided by Noah Langford and Patrick Rowe, with reports from Gary Cotterill.