Harry Kane issues a caution to Paris Saint-Germain following Bayern Munich’s victory over Flamengo, which secured their spot in the quarter-finals.

Harry Kane has issued a stern warning that Bayern Munich are serious contenders after they advanced to the quarter-finals of the FIFA Club World Cup.

The England striker played a pivotal role in his side’s 4-2 victory over Flamengo in the last-16, netting a brace that has taken his tally to over 40 goals for the season. Next up for Bayern is a tantalising clash against Paris Saint-Germain, who cruised past Inter Miami with a 4-0 win.

Kane is relishing the upcoming encounter, especially considering that Vincent Kompany’s side managed to defeat their French rivals 1-0 in the UEFA Champions League earlier this season.

“It’s going to be another tough game,” Kane told DAZN. “PSG have had an amazing season. We played them earlier in the year and we came out on top. We have to try and use that energy, that feeling, in this game. We know it will be difficult. But look, we feel like we can beat anyone when we’re at our level. We’ve shown it in the tournament so far. It’s going to be another tough game. We’re going to have to recover well and get ready for it.”

Bayern’s journey to the quarter-finals was not without its challenges. They raced into a 2-0 lead against Flamengo within the first nine minutes, courtesy of an Erick Pulgar own goal and Kane’s first strike. However, the Brazilians fought back, with Gerson pulling one back before Leon Goretzka restored a two-goal cushion just before half-time.

Despite Bayern’s lead, Flamengo continued to apply pressure, with former Chelsea and Arsenal player Jorginho converting a penalty. It wasn’t until Kane scored his second that the match was finally settled, and the striker expressed satisfaction with the way he found the net.

“It was a nice ball by Josh (Kimmich), I wasn’t sure if he saw it,” Kane explained. “He played a nice little disguised pass. I talk a lot about the first touch. It sets up the goal. I was able to go both ways and I thought the front post was a better option. Thankfully it paid off.”

Reflecting on the match, Kane added: “It was tough. We were playing against a really good side. Difficult conditions, really hot. I thought we played well for large spells of the game. Every time we felt like we got away, they clawed their way back and made it difficult, especially in the second half. The fourth goal was an important goal for us, just to ease the nerves in the last ten minutes or so. From there, we controlled it well.”

Bayern’s victory keeps them on track for a historic season. Having recently reclaimed the Bundesliga title from Bayer Leverkusen, they are now eyeing a third Club World Cup crown. Their journey to this stage has seen them overcome Boca Juniors (2-1) and Auckland City (10-0).

Manager Vincent Kompany also shared his thoughts with DAZN, stating: “I think the main thing is, I looked in the first 20 minutes and we were playing well, but the intensity of the game was ferocious. I’m thinking ‘okay, in this heat, against this opponent, is this going to carry on?’ To be fair, we grew into the game and I think it was a good game for the fans. We are really happy to go to the next round.”

Kompany emphasised the need for recovery ahead of the clash with PSG, adding, “We’ll see what it needs to be for that game, but the main thing is we have to rest now, recover from this game, use every single day that we’ve got to rebuild our energy. What more do you want? Top sides playing each other on the biggest stage. We’ll be ready for that.”