【UCL Wrap】Bayern 4-1 Atalanta: Kane bags a brace on his 50-goal milestone as Bayern crush Atalanta 10-2 on aggregate to storm into quarters

Let's be real, if you were up watching the match this morning, you were probably just tuning in expecting a goal fest. After Bayern put six past them in Bergamo in the first leg, how many Atalanta fans actually believed a six-goal comeback was on the cards? Last night's second leg at the Allianz Arena wasn't so much a Champions League knockout tie as it was a Bayern Munich exhibition match, and the Harry Kane milestone show.

Kane bags a brace, 50-goal milestone done and dusted

Everyone knew the main storyline going into this game: Harry Kane was just two goals away from hitting the 50-goal mark in the Champions League. And the England captain didn't disappoint the fans who dragged themselves out of bed for this. In the 25th minute, Atalanta defender Giorgio Scalvini was penalised for handball in the box after blocking a Kane shot. The ref pointed to the spot after a quick VAR check. Kane's first attempt was saved, but the keeper was adjudged to have come off his line early, so it had to be retaken. You know what they say about getting a second chance after missing a penalty? Kane kept his cool, smashed it into the top corner, and made it 1-0.

Then came the moment in the 54th minute. Josip Stanišić played a neat through ball into the box. Kane picked it up on the right, didn't even need a second look, and just lashed it first-time from a tight angle. The ball took a slight deflection off a defender and flew into the roof of the net. This goal was pure power and precision, and more importantly, it marked his 50th Champions League strike. Looking at the numbers, he got there in 66 games – that's the same pace as Lionel Messi, and a cool 25 games faster than Cristiano Ronaldo. Considering the number of Champions League campaigns he had at Tottenham, that efficiency is seriously mind-blowing.

Young guns step up, keeper crisis averted by 'disaster plan'

Bayern weren't just about Kane tonight; the youngsters also delivered. In the 56th minute, Luis Díaz squared the ball to 18-year-old rising star Lennart Karl, who curled a beauty into the far corner from the right edge of the box. Díaz then got in on the act himself, latching onto a long ball and chipping the keeper to make it 4-0. Atalanta did manage a late consolation goal through Lazar Samardžić, but it only changed the scoreline to 4-1 on the night, wrapping up a 10-2 aggregate hammering.

But while Bayern fans were loving the scoreline, a quick glance at the bench would have made them sweat. Here's the thing: with Manuel Neuer, Sven Ulreich, and even last game's starter Jonas Urbig all sidelined through injury or illness, Bayern's goalkeeping situation was so dire they were nearly forced to play a 16-year-old kid, Leonard Prescott! Thankfully, Urbig managed to tough it out and start, otherwise, rolling out a 'disaster plan' 16-year-old in a Champions League knockout tie would have been a wild story.

Palladino: 'We might have just lost to the best team in Europe'

After the match, a thoroughly beaten Atalanta coach Raffaele Palladino said: "We tried a different tactic, tried to sit deeper, but it didn't change the outcome. I have to congratulate Bayern and Kompany, because we might have just been up against the best team in Europe right now." He also suggested Italian teams need to reflect on why, when facing a side of Bayern's calibre, it feels like they're playing "a different sport."

• Ruthless stats: Bayern have scored 28 goals in 9 UCL games this season, averaging 3.1 per game.
• Fortress Allianz: In 4 home matches this campaign, they've smashed in 14 goals, outscoring opponents by an average of 3.5 goals per game.
• Quarter-final clash: The win sets up a blockbuster tie against Real Madrid – a proper 'Champions League final before the final'.

Looking back at this one, Atalanta had just over 30% possession and were basically hanging on for dear life. Their away form in the UCL this season has been poor – just 4 goals in 5 games on the road, the weakest attacking record among the last-16 sides. Facing a Bayern defence that was held together by youngsters and looked vulnerable, and still not managing to score more than a single goal... who else can they blame?

Simply put, 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 stays "Hary Kane" or goes missing.