Champions League Golden Boot: Harry Kane Leads After Goal vs Arsenal, Haaland and Mbappe Drop to 2nd

• All first-leg matches in the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals have finished
• Bayern's Harry Kane grabbed sole possession of first place in the Golden Boot race
• Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland dropped to second after struggling in the first leg

The 2023-24 UEFA Champions League Golden Boot race is heating up.

Harry Kane moved up to first place after scoring against Arsenal in the last 8 on Tuesday night.

Sports Brief looks at the leading Golden Boot contenders as we head into the second leg of the quarter-finals.

2023/24 Champions League Top Scorers

1. Harry Kane (7 goals, Bayern Munich)

Kane moved one step closer to winning the Champions League Golden Boot award for the very first time, grabbing the lead in the scoring charts after the first leg of the 2023-24 quarter-finals.

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He netted a penalty for Bayern Munich in the 32nd minute after William Saliba was adjudged to have tripped the speedy Leroy Sane inside the box.

He now has scored seven goals in the competition, three of which came in the knockout rounds. He helped Bayern qualify for the quarter-finals, scoring a brace in their second-leg win over Lazio in the Round of 16.

2. Kylian Mbappe (6 goals, PSG)

Mbappe wasn't able to keep pace with Kane in the Golden Boot race, failing to find the back of the net in PSG's loss to Barcelona in the first leg of their quarter-final clash.

Many expected the Frenchman to put on a show at Parc des Princes, with 17-year-old Pau Cubarsi the one tasked by Barcelona to guard him.

The teen star more than held his own against the 2018 World Cup winner, limiting him to three shot attempts when he was the primary defender, all of which were off-target.

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According to TNT Sports, Mbappe also lost nine of his 12 duels with Cubarsi and completed just one of four dribbles against the Spanish youngster.

2. Erling Haaland (6 goals, Manchester City)

Mbappe wasn't the only big-name player to struggle in the first leg of the 2023-24 Champions League quarter-finals.

Haaland failed to score in Manchester City's thrilling 3-3 draw with Real Madrid, with the Norwegian forward recording the least number of touches (20) of any outfield player to play 90 minutes on Tuesday night.

He has never scored against the Spanish giants in his career. He will look to end that barren run when the two sides face each other in the second leg at the Etihad Stadium this Wednesday.

2. Antoine Griezmann (6 goals, Atletico Madrid)

Griezmann dropped to second place in the Golden Boot race as well after he failed to score in Atletico Madrid's first-leg clash with Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday.

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Atletico still managed to pull off the victory without Griezmann's scoring, nabbing a 2-1 win thanks to goals from Rodrigo De Paul and Samuel Lino in the first half.

Griezmann did contribute to the win, setting up Lino for Atletico's second goal, per the BBC.

5. Phil Foden (5 goals, Manchester City)

Foden moved up to fifth place in the Champions League Golden Boot race in style, scoring a wonder goal in Manchester City's draw with Real Madrid.

The Englishman equalised for the visitors in the 66th minute, firing an unstoppable shot into the top corner from just outside the box.

5. Julian Alvarez (5 goals, Manchester City)

Alvarez failed to keep pace with Kane in the Golden Boot race as he was not among the goal-scorers for Manchester City in their draw with Real Madrid.

He had limited playing time in the first leg, with manager Pep Guardiola only inserting him in the 87th minute of the contest.

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5. Alvaro Morata (5 goals, Atletico Madrid)

Morata also wasn't able to score in the first leg of the quarter-finals, leaving him in a tie for fifth place in the Golden Boot race.

His last goal in the Champions League came on November 7, 2023 in the group-stage match against Celtic. The Spaniard scored a brace in a resounding 6-0 win.

Fans slam Mbappe after poor outing vs Barca

Sports Brief recently reported on fans blasting Mbappe after his dismal showing against Barcelona.

The Frenchman failed to score despite playing the full 90 minutes against the Spanish club.

He has one last opportunity to deliver a Champions League title to PSG, with his contract set to expire this summer.