Excuse me Leverkusen, this is Bayern's habitat

LEVERKUSEN, WEDNESDAY — Bayern Munich emphasized that every competition has a different aura. The Champions League is their habitat. Bayern shattered the theoretical advantage of their rival team, Bayer Leverkusen, by completely dominating both home and away matches. Five goals separated the two German giants.

The maturity of Bayern's squad was clearly evident at Leverkusen's home ground, BayArena Stadium, during the second leg of the Round of 16 on Wednesday (12/3/2025) early morning Western Indonesian Time. Already leading 3-0 on aggregate, the team coached by head coach Vincent Kompany refused to play it safe. They took the initiative to control the game and managed to secure another 2-0 victory.

Two goals, from Harry Kane and Alphonso Davies, completed Bayern's celebration. "It is not easy psychologically when leading by three goals (after the first leg), but we delivered another great performance today. Being able to defeat a team like them with five goals over two matches is enough to show who we are," said Kane.

Bayern advanced to the quarter-finals with a 5-0 aggregate score. The result was in stark contrast to the mathematical calculations on paper. Prior to the Champions League duel, Leverkusen had never lost to Bayern in six consecutive meetings (3 wins and 3 draws). Bayern had only managed to score four goals across all those matches.

Bayern's six Champions League titles, compared to Leverkusen's zero, create a significant gap. Bayern's squad's wealth of experience in the competition speaks volumes. They are highly disciplined in defense and composed when in possession of the ball. In stark contrast, Leverkusen appears rushed.

Leverkusen, which last advanced to the quarter-finals in the 2001-2002 season, made too many mistakes. Kane's opening goal stemmed from an error in anticipation by forward Patrik Schick in the penalty box. After falling behind 0-1 at home, the visiting team's hopes were immediately dashed. It was nearly impossible to chase four goals with less than 40 minutes remaining.

The team coached by head coach Xabi Alonso had to bear the burden of excessive mistakes in the first match. They suffered a heavy defeat at Bayern's home due to the players' carelessness. Starting from goalkeeper Matej Kovar's blunder, wing-back Nordi Mukiele's foul that resulted in a red card, to center-back Edmond Tapsoba's foul in the penalty box.

"The Champions League is a competition where you can't make many mistakes and we made too many. We needed something spectacular today, but it didn't work. The team's performance was good, it just lacked quality and efficiency," said Alonso, a two-time Champions League winner as a player.

The absence of star player Florian Wirtz due to injury also weighed heavily on the home team. Without their top goal contributor, Leverkusen lacked creativity in the final third. They only tried to exploit Schick's height advantage with crosses.

Bayern's defensive duo of Kim Min-jae and Dayot Upamecano deserve appreciation for being able to lead the defense line very solidly. The visitors only conceded three shots on goal during the 90 minutes. 21-year-old goalkeeper Jonas Urbig who replaced veteran Manuel Neuer also appeared quite calm.

On the other hand, Bayern's attacking line was impressive. The threat of Kane, Jamal Musiala, Michael Olise and Kingsley Coman kept Leverkusen from getting too offensive. Musiala almost added a brace for Bayern after going 2-0 up, but his efforts hit the post and crossbar.

Kane was named man of the match with a goal and an assist. The forward has been in scintillating form in the Champions League, having already scored 10 goals and provided two assists this season. Only Barcelona winger Raphinha (11 goals) has more goals than Kane.

"Kane's motivation, his personal motivation, is something I don't need to talk too much about. It helps when you have a top player who wants to run, compete, like a young player. When you see him preparing, it gives you peace of mind as a coach," Kompany said.

Leverkusen's condition is increasingly desperate this season. They were eliminated from the Champions League in the early rounds and are eight points behind Bayern in the Bundesliga. Only the German Cup is the only trophy that is most realistic to win. At the same time, Bayern can continue to dream of being able to appear in the Champions League final which will be held at their home, the Allianz Arena Stadium. (AP/REUTERS)