Harry Kane's Miss and the Dark Arts of Relegation Battle
Harry Kane strode up to the spot in Wolfsburg with a familiar script in front of him: one kick, one record, one more line in a remarkable debut Bundesliga season.
Instead, the ball flew high, the net stayed untouched, and the story took a very different twist.
Kane’s rare miss – and the mark on the turf
In the 36th minute of Bayern Munich’s 1-0 win at Wolfsburg, Kane had the chance to break away from history, not just join it. The 32-year-old stood over what would have been his 25th consecutive converted penalty since swapping Tottenham for Bavaria in 2023.
Score, and he would have:
- Set a new personal run of 25 straight spot-kicks in Germany
- Claimed an outright Bundesliga record with his 11th penalty of the season
- Pulled clear as the single-season king from 12 yards, moving ahead of Paul Breitner’s mark of ten from 1980/81
- Hit goal number 56 for Bayern in all competitions
Instead, the England captain slipped. His standing foot went, his body shape followed, and the ball sailed high and wide of the top-right corner he was hunting. Kane immediately glanced down, glaring at the penalty spot rather than the sky.
He had good reason.
VAR footage later showed Wolfsburg centre-back Jeanuel Belocian stamping on the spot. Not once. Twice. A deliberate attempt to rough up the turf where Kane would plant his foot.
Pressed on it by Bild after the match, the France youth international didn’t bother to dress it up. Asked if he had intentionally tried to sabotage Kane, Belocian replied: “Yes, that was easy.”
No cloak-and-dagger. Just a blunt admission of a dark little art.
“Dirty little tricks” and a furious reaction
Inside a relegation fight, those dark arts are never far from the surface. Wolfsburg winger Patrick Wimmer made no attempt to hide the context.
“These are the sort of dirty little tricks you might have to resort to sometimes when you're down there,” he told Sky Sport Germany. He stopped short of claiming it directly caused the miss, adding: “Whether that's why it happened to Harry Kane, we don't know, maybe it was down to his boots.”
From Bayern’s side, the mood was very different. Young midfielder Tom Bischof was incensed by Belocian’s stamp, branding it beyond the pale.
“I know Wolfsburg are battling relegation, but that action was unnecessary. Fair play should always apply, even when the stakes are high,” he said, cutting through the excuses.
The incident will linger. Not because Kane is known for theatrics or complaints, but precisely because he isn’t. His record from the spot is one of the most reliable in world football. When he misses, people look for reasons.
On Saturday, the reason was literally etched into the turf.
Kompany’s cold realism
Vincent Kompany, though, refused to be drawn into outrage. Bayern’s coach, schooled in the hardest edges of elite competition, took a more pragmatic view.
“What do you expect them to do? Should they just clap when we score a goal?” the former Manchester City captain said. “Should they just get relegated without giving it their all?
“That the Wolfsburg player did that? Of course he shouldn't have done it. But I can understand it too.”
It was a manager’s answer: condemn the act, understand the motive. In a relegation scrap, the lines of sportsmanship blur. Kompany has seen enough of the game to know that.
Olise settles it, Bayern move on
The miss could have haunted Bayern. It didn’t. Michael Olise made sure of that.
In the 56th minute, the winger stepped up from range and unleashed a stunning strike, the kind of goal that rips tension out of a contest in a single movement. His effort decided the game, locked in the 1-0 win, and ensured Kane’s rare misstep did not cost his side points.
For Bayern, the path is clear. One final Bundesliga outing against FC Köln next weekend, then a shot at silverware in the DFB-Pokal final against Stuttgart. Kane will have more chances from the spot, more records within reach, more pressure points to define his first season in Germany.
You would not bet against him placing the ball down again and trusting the same routine.
Wolfsburg walking the tightrope
For Wolfsburg, the picture is far darker. The defeat leaves them 16th, sitting in the relegation play-off position, staring at a two-legged tie against the third-placed club from 2. Bundesliga – currently Hannover 96.
Even that safety net is not guaranteed. Lose to St Pauli in their next fixture, and they drop automatically. St Pauli are 17th, level on points, separated only by goal difference. One bad afternoon, and Wolfsburg fall straight through the trapdoor.
Stamping on a penalty spot might buy a moment. It won’t save a season.
