Harry Kane drove Bayern Munich's comeback against Arsenal on Wednesday, scoring from the penalty spot and setting up Alphonso Davies as the Bavarians overturned an early deficit in their UEFA Champions League meeting, according to NBC Sports. The match headlined a busy slate of European fixtures that also saw Manchester United thrashed 4-1 away to Como in Italy.
Arsenal had taken the lead through Eberechi Eze in the 26th minute after a VAR review corrected an offside flag, but the night was shadowed by an early injury to Bukayo Saka, who came off in the 10th minute holding his upper leg and was replaced by Eze.
Why it matters
The result matters on two fronts for Arsenal. Dropping points after leading against one of Europe's strongest sides leaves the London club with work to do in the league phase, and Saka's early withdrawal raises immediate questions about his availability. For Bayern, the fightback underlined their attacking depth and Kane's value as both a scorer and a creator — a combination NBC Sports described as one reason he may be in contention for the Ballon d'Or.
How the comeback unfolded
Arsenal had the better of the opening period in terms of the ball, keeping 56 percent possession and edging shot attempts 6-5, though expected goals favoured Bayern 0.82 to 0.58, per NBC Sports. Eze, lively throughout after being withdrawn at halftime in Arsenal's previous Premier League outing, thought he had beaten the last defender with a well-timed run down the left before finishing past Manuel Neuer. The flag went up, the review showed he was onside, and the goal stood.
Bayern equalised when Konrad Laimer broke around the right flank and pulled the ball back toward the penalty spot. Kane's shot was bound for an empty goal when it struck the arm of a sliding Jurrien Timber, and Kane converted the resulting penalty with a stuttering run-up, sending the ball into the roof of the net. The goal arrived at roughly the 60-minute mark, leaving Arsenal half an hour to respond.
Kane then turned provider, collecting the ball at midfield and threading a pass behind Timber for Davies to carry into the box. The Canadian struck past David Raya to complete the turnaround. Earlier, Dayot Upamecano had gone close with a header from a advanced position, only for Raya to save well and keep the score at 1-1.
Bayern made a change at the interval, with Jonathan Tah replacing Min-jae Kim alongside Upamecano in the back line.
United's night to forget in Como
The evening's opening fixture turned into a rout in Italy. Nico Paz, 22, opened the scoring in the second minute, cutting past Harry Maguire and finishing emphatically. He was involved again early in the second half, releasing Anastasios Douvikas to make it 2-0, and added a third in the 57th minute after a costly error from substitute Carlos Baleba.
United pulled one back just before stoppage time when Amad Diallo's cross found the outstretched leg of Joshua Zirkzee, who was onside and finished to end Como's hopes of a clean sheet. A VAR check for a possible offside in the build-up took time but the goal was allowed.
Speaking after the match, Bruno Fernandes questioned the approach taken by Michael Carrick's staff, telling NBC Sports that the decision not to press man-to-man and to concede possession allowed Como to build confidence. He said the amount of running required left the team frustrated and made it harder to use the ball once recovered.
Elsewhere on a packed night
Aston Villa moved to within 45 minutes of a 3-0 start to the league phase, with Ross Barkley continuing his resurgence and Emiliano Buendia also scoring. Their opponents, Viking, had taken a point off Bayern in a 3-3 draw in their previous outing, a result that meant Unai Emery was unlikely to treat the fixture as routine.
The night's schedule also included Club Brugge against Lens, Inter Milan against Shakhtar Donetsk, Real Betis against Feyenoord, Real Madrid against RB Leipzig and Sporting Lisbon against LASK Linz, with NBC Sports providing rolling coverage across the day.
Arsenal will now assess Saka's condition before their next fixture, while Bayern will look to build on a comeback that kept their league-phase campaign on course.
