Harry Kane's Penalty Miss and Controversy Against Wolfsburg
Harry Kane has spent a year in Germany turning penalties into a routine. On Saturday in Wolfsburg, the routine snapped – and the replays showed why.
Kane’s rare miss, and a ruined record
In the 36th minute, with Bayern Munich locked at 0-0 and the Volkswagen Arena braced for the inevitable, Kane stepped up for what looked like another inevitable moment of history.
This was set up to be penalty number 25 in a row since his move from Tottenham Hotspur in 2023. It would have been his 11th converted spot-kick of this Bundesliga season alone – an outright record, lifting him clear of Paul Breitner’s long-standing mark of ten from 1980/81. It also would have taken him to 56 goals for Bayern in all competitions.
Instead, the net rippled only with the sound of disbelief.
Kane slipped as he planted his standing foot, his body shape collapsing just as he aimed for the top-right corner. The ball flew high, wide, and into the catalogue of misses you almost never see from him. As he straightened up, his eyes went straight to the penalty spot.
He had every reason to.
The stamp that changed everything
New VAR footage later showed Wolfsburg centre-back Jeanuel Belocian walking to the spot before the kick and stamping on it. Not once. Twice.
This was not subtle gamesmanship. It was a deliberate attempt to rough up the turf under the most reliable penalty-taker in Europe.
Pressed by Bild after the match on whether he had tried to sabotage Kane, the 21-year-old France youth international didn’t bother to dance around it. He simply replied: “Yes, that was easy.”
No excuses. No softening. Just open admission of a “dirty little trick” that suddenly looked decisive.
Patrick Wimmer, Belocian’s teammate, didn’t hide from it either. Speaking to Sky Sport Germany, he framed it as the kind of edge a team fighting for its life sometimes seeks.
“These are the sort of dirty little tricks you might have to resort to sometimes when you're down there,” he said. “Whether that's why it happened to Harry Kane, we don't know, maybe it was down to his boots.”
For Wolfsburg, clinging to survival, the miss kept them alive in the contest. For Kane, it ruined a flawless Bundesliga penalty record and denied him a slice of history.
Bayern anger, and Kompany’s cold logic
Not everyone shrugged it off as part of the game.
Bayern youngster Tom Bischof was furious when he saw the footage. For him, Belocian’s stamp crossed a line that should hold even when the table tightens and nerves fray.
“I know Wolfsburg are battling relegation, but that action was unnecessary. Fair play should always apply, even when the stakes are high,” he said.
The outrage was understandable. Kane is the England captain, the face of professionalism, and rarely rattled from 12 yards. To see the spot deliberately sabotaged felt like a violation of football’s unwritten code.
Vincent Kompany, though, cut through the noise with a more pragmatic view. The Bayern coach, hardened by a career at the sharp end with Manchester City, understood the desperation that drives such decisions.
“What do you expect them to do? Should they just clap when we score a goal? Should they just get relegated without giving it their all?” he said. “That the Wolfsburg player did that? Of course he shouldn't have done it. But I can understand it too.”
It was an answer that acknowledged both sides: the breach of fair play, and the brutal reality of a relegation fight.
Olise settles it, but tension remains
For Bayern, the controversy could have grown into a story of dropped points and squandered records. Michael Olise made sure it didn’t.
Ten minutes into the second half, in the 56th minute, the winger stepped up from range and lashed in a stunning strike to seal a 1-0 win. No tricks. No debate. Just pure technique from distance.
The goal kept Bayern’s rhythm intact as they head into the final stretch of their season: a last Bundesliga outing against FC Köln next weekend, then the DFB-Pokal final against Stuttgart. Kane will almost certainly stand over more penalties before the campaign is done. Few would bet against him starting a new streak immediately.
For Wolfsburg, the bigger picture is far less comfortable.
The defeat leaves them 16th, staring at a two-legged relegation play-off against the current third-placed side in Bundesliga 2, Hannover 96. That’s the safety net. The trapdoor is even closer.
Lose to St Pauli in their next match, and they go down automatically. St Pauli sit 17th, level on points and behind only on goal difference. One misstep, one bad moment, and Wolfsburg’s long stay in the top flight could be over.
On Saturday, a scuffed penalty spot bought them a reprieve, not a result. The question now is simple: when the season comes down to their own pressure moments, will they stand firm – or slip where it really counts?
