Harry Kane inspires Bayern Munich to edge past Union Berlin into German Cup last eight
Harry Kane netted a header in the opening period as Bayern Munich scraped through to the quarter-finals of the German Cup with a narrow 3-2 victory over Union Berlin on Wednesday evening.
The match turned chaotic in Berlin, with Bayern conceding two spot-kicks and Union unfortunately putting through two goals of their own.
Both mishaps for Union stemmed from Bayern's dead-ball situations, while Leopold Querfeld stepped up confidently to bury both penalties for the home side.
This result propels Bayern into the final eight of the DFB-Pokal, a tournament they have dominated with 20 previous triumphs, marking only their second appearance there in the last six campaigns.
Heading to the capital, Bayern confronted the sole opponent to have earned a draw against them in 19 domestic fixtures this term, following a tense 2-2 stalemate at the same ground back in November.
Unions dreams of repeating that feat suffered a blow early on, as Ansah inadvertently deflected a Joshua Kimmich corner off his leg and past his keeper after just 12 minutes.
The visitors struck again soon after, with Kane soaring to connect with another Kimmich delivery from the flank, making it 2-0 on the 24-minute mark.
A handball by Jonathan Tah earned Union a lifeline from 12 yards, which Querfeld slotted home right on the stroke of the 40th minute, only for Diogo Leite to bundle in yet another for Bayern off a Michael Olise free-kick moments before the interval.
Bayern tempted fate once more shortly after the restart, as Kane's errant arm led to another penalty, duly dispatched by Querfeld to trim the lead to a single goal.
That spurred Union into life, as they pressed hard and kept the pressure on their illustrious visitors for most of the second half, though Bayern managed to cling on and secure progression.
In the days earlier fixture on Wednesday, holders Stuttgart advanced to the quarters after a comfortable 2-0 success on the road against Bochum, reduced to 10 players.
The Bochum centre-back Philipp Strompf endured a nightmare opening 45 minutes, first lobbing a header into his own goal before receiving his marching orders just prior to the break.
Stuttgart forward Deniz Undav sealed the points with a headed effort soon into the second half, boosting his recent haul to seven strikes over his last four outings in league and cup action.
Speaking to German broadcaster ARD afterwards, Undav admitted he felt "far from pleased" with the "scrappy showing", yet noted: "Our play was disjointed and unpredictable, but in knockout ties, the only thing that counts is moving forward."
Stuttgart will share the next stage with Freiburg, who claimed a 2-0 home win versus second-tier Darmstadt courtesy of a Vincenzo Grifo spot-kick and a finish from Lucas Hoeler.
Bayer Leverkusen, St Pauli, RB Leipzig and Hertha Berlin had all secured their places in the last eight with victories the previous day.