Vincent Kompany has praised Lennart Karl’s importance to Bayern Munich after the youngster made Champions League history with their victory over Sporting CP.
Karl scored for the third Champions League match in a row, putting Bayern ahead in the 69th minute and putting them on course for their 3-1 comeback win.
Serge Gnabry had earlier canceled out Joshua Kimmich’s own goal, while Jonathan Tah rounded off the scoring to put Bayern joint top of the table ahead of Arsenal’s match on Wednesday.
But Karl stole the headlines when, aged 17 years and 290 days, he became the youngest player in the competition’s history (since 1992-93) to score in three consecutive matches.
He ensured Bayern continued their impressive home record in the Champions League league/group stages. They are now undefeated in their last 37 such matches (W35 D2), dating back to December 2013.
And Kompany was delighted with Karl’s performance, although he admitted the teenager could have had an even bigger influence on the match.
“Lennart is always dangerous. To be honest, he has played better games for us, but he is always there,” Kompany told DAZN.
“When he gets his moments, he just finishes it. That’s important for us.”
3 – Bayern’s Lennart Karl is the youngest player in UEFA Champions League history (since 1992-93) to score in three consecutive matches, aged 17 years and 290 days today. Diamond. pic.twitter.com/izDbFN4Lif
— OptaFranz (@OptaFranz) December 9, 2025
And Kompany was delighted with the fighting spirit shown by his entire team, adding: “Sporting are a tough opponent; they are in the top eight of the Champions League for a reason.
“After falling behind, we remained calm.”
Kimmich, whose own goal was the first Bayern have conceded against Barcelona since August 2020, hinted that Karl’s performances should lead to a place in the Germany squad.
“I assume Lenny will continue to get playing time with us,” Kimmich said.
“He has currently made it into the starting XI and every regular player at Bayern Munich – especially now, the way we play – also belongs in the national team.”
#Kompany #praises #dangerous #Karl #recordbreaking #Champions #League #goal #Football #news