Harry Kane bags brace as Chelsea beaten by Bayern Munich in Champions League | OneFootball

Harry Kane scored twice as Chelsea fell to a 3-1 defeat to Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena.

On their return to the Champions League for the first time in nearly two and a half years, Enzo Maresca’s side contributed to a wonderful showcase of ambitious and highly proactive football.

They had been the better team in the first half when they were suddenly hit by two Bayern goals in seven minutes, a Trevoh Chalobah own goal and a Kane penalty.

It was a measure of their determination not to let the occasion pass them by that Chelsea struck back within two minutes, Cole Palmer rifling into the top corner with a finish worthy of such a diverting first half.

Kane restored the two-goal lead just past the hour as Bayern’s greater quality finally put down the Blues’ wily resistance.

Maresca had made the point that his team were playing in the Conference League play-off round a little over a year ago, but there was little sense their rapid elevation had unsettled Chelsea.

Here they were bold enough to take Bayern on and try to play through them on their own patch, undone in the end only by callowness that gave an edge to seasoned opposition. Chelsea’s young squad have learned fast in 12 months and must do so again if they are to go far in this competition.

They had begun determined to make up for their time spent away. Palmer’s low cross was taken up by Enzo Fernandez, who was dispossessed by Konrad Laimer before he could shoot, then Marc Cucurella headed Moises Caicedo’s floated ball wide.

Chelsea looked a ready danger to Bayern with Palmer restored to the team on the right wing and clearly unnerving the home side, with Fernandez moved up the pitch to No 10 to maximise use of his final ball.

Yet Bayern’s XI had by far the greater experience of this competition, and they exploited a momentary lapse in Chelsea’s concentration.

Serge Gnabry was left free on the right, skimming his way with ease around Joao Pedro before sending over a cross that was turned into his own net by Chalobah.

Caicedo then clumsily knocked Kane to the ground, resulting in a Bayern penalty from which the England captain sent Robert Sanchez the wrong way to double the lead.

Chelsea at that point – two goals down after 27 minutes – might have crumbled.

Instead, they hit back almost immediately. Bayern left an acre of space through the centre for Palmer to dart into, drawing defenders towards him before playing a one-two with Malo Gusto, then finishing brilliantly into the top corner.

Sanchez kept out Kane at the near post before producing a sensational one-handed stop to deny Michael Olise, the kind of hyper-athletic, reaction-reach that the once-maligned goalkeeper is becoming adept at.

Yet minutes later, he was exposed again, and this time Kane made no mistake, opening up his body from Gnabry’s pass and bending his finish low across goal.