Champions League Wrap: Bayern 4-1 Atalanta Again, 10-2 Aggregate Romp into Quarters as Kane Bags Brace to Hit 50-Goal Milestone

Let's be honest, if you were up watching the early hours of this morning, you were probably just settled in for a goal fest. After Bayern put six past them in Bergamo in the first leg, surely even the most optimistic Atalanta fan didn't genuinely believe in a six-goal comeback? Last night's return leg at the Allianz Arena wasn't so much a Champions League knockout tie as it was a Bayern Munich exhibition match, complete with a personal milestone for Harry Kane.

Kane Bags a Brace, 50-Goal Milestone "No Sweat"

The whole world knew the focal point before kick-off: Harry Kane was just two goals shy of his 50th in the Champions League. The England captain didn't let the fans who stayed up late down. On 25 minutes, Atalanta defender Giorgio Scalvini handled the ball in the box blocking a Kane shot. The ref pointed to the spot after a VAR check. Kane's initial penalty was saved, but the keeper, Marco Sportiello, was adjudged to have come off his line early, so it had to be retaken. You know the crack – a striker who misses a pen is dreading a second chance, but Kane didn't bat an eyelid, smashing it into the corner second time to put Bayern 1-0 up.

Then came the piece of quality on 54 minutes. Josip Stanišić played a clever through ball into the box, Kane picked it up on the right, didn't even look up, and just lashed it first-time from a tight angle. It took a nick off a defender and flew into the top corner. That strike was all about power and precision – unsaveable – and it marked his official 50th Champions League goal. Looking at the stats, he hit that number in 66 games, the same pace as Lionel Messi and a whopping 25 games quicker than Cristiano Ronaldo. And you have to remember how many Champions League campaigns he had at Tottenham? That's some going, fair play.

Young Guns Shine, Keeper Crisis Averted by "Disaster Recovery" Option

Bayern weren't just about Kane tonight; the young lads stepped up too. Down 56 minutes, Luis Díaz cut it back and 18-year-old rising star Lennart Karl curled it first-time into the far corner from the right edge of the box. Then Díaz helped himself to a "poker" [four goals in a game], latching onto a long ball and chipping the keeper to make it 4-0. Atalanta did grab a late consolation through Lazar Samardžić, but it only changed the scoreline to 4-1 on the night, a 10-2 aggregate hammering.

But while Bayern fans loved the scoreline, a look at the subs bench would've made them sweat a bit. Would you believe it, with Manuel Neuer, Sven Ulreich and even last game's starter Jonas Urbig all injured or ill, Bayern were almost forced to field a 16-year-old kid in goal tonight – Leonard Prescott! Thankfully, Urbig was fit enough to start, because having a 16-year-old "disaster recovery" plan between the sticks for a Champions League last-16 tie would've been a mad one, to be fair.

Palladino: "We Might Have Just Lost to the Best Team in Europe"

After the match, Atalanta boss Raffaele Palladino was full of praise and took it on the chin, saying: "We changed our tactics, tried to sit deeper, but it didn't change the outcome. I want to congratulate Bayern and Kompany, because we might have just been up against the best team in Europe right now." He added that Italian sides need to reflect on why, when they face teams of Bayern's calibre, it looks like they're playing a "different sport."

• Staggering Stats: Bayern have bagged 28 goals in 9 Champions League games this season, averaging 3.1 per match.
• Fortress Allianz: In their 4 home European ties this term, they've plundered 14 goals, winning by an average of 3.5 goals per game.
• Quarter-Final Clash: Bayern's reward for advancing is a tie against Real Madrid – a proper "Champions League final preview."

Looking back at this one, Atalanta had just over 30% possession and were up against it all night. They've only scored 4 goals in their 5 away European games this season – the worst away attacking record in the last 16. When you're up against a Bayern defence that was patched up with kids and still can't find the net, you've only yourself to blame, haven't you?

In short, that 10-2 aggregate scoreline says it all. The real test comes in the quarters against Real Madrid. That's when we'll see if Harry Kane delivers the goods or goes missing when it matters most.