Kane’s Redemption: Heroics Shine Despite Missed Penalty in German Cup Triumph

Against Wehen-Wiesbaden

There’s a running joke that Harry Kane’s missed penalty against France at the 2022 FIFA World Cup is still floating somewhere in space. It has been nearly three years since Kane last missed a penalty in any competitive match. In that time, the England captain converted 31 consecutive penalties. However, that impressive streak came to an end when Kane missed a crucial penalty in the opening round of the DFB Pokal against third-tier team Wehen Wiesbaden.

Bayern Munich took an early lead in the match with a penalty by Kane at the 16th minute—his 31st consecutive successful penalty—and a fantastic goal from Michael Olise at the 51st minute. From there, it seemed Bayern was on track to easily secure a spot in the second round of the German Cup. But then, Fatih Kaya scored two quick goals (64’ & 70’) to level the score for Wiesbaden. In the 76th minute, Kane was brought down in the box, and despite stepping up to take the penalty himself, both his initial shot and the rebound were saved by goalkeeper Florian Stritzel.

“It was a crazy game,” Kane told Sky Sport after the match. “We had some great chances to seal the game, but credit to them, they kept fighting. We know we’re not a perfect team yet, and tonight was a reminder of that.” Although the missed penalty could have overshadowed his performance, Kane managed to shine when it mattered most. With four minutes left in injury time, he scored with a perfectly executed header after a high ball was played into the box.

Kane’s 12th Missed Penalty – A Positive Sign for Bayern?

How rare is it for Harry Kane to miss a penalty? According to the Transfermarkt database, Kane has missed just 12 penalties in his entire career, with the last one coming on December 10, 2022, during England’s 2-1 loss to France in the World Cup. The year 2022 proved challenging for Kane, as it was the only year in his career when he missed three penalties, surpassing his previous record of two missed penalties in 2016. However, he had maintained a perfect record for Bayern until this incident, having scored 21 consecutive penalties prior to this match.

This missed penalty might even serve as a good omen. Despite this setback, Bayern Munich has advanced to the second round of the DFB Pokal for the 31st time. However, the club hasn’t claimed victory in this competition since 2020, when they defeated Bayer Leverkusen 4-2. In recent seasons, Bayern has faced early exits in the German Cup, including losses to Saarbrücken (2-1) in the second round of the 2023/24 season and Bayer Leverkusen (1-0) in the round of 16 in the 2024/25 season.