Paris Saint-Germain on Sunday laid down an ominous marker on their march toward global domination at the FIFA Club World Cup, while Bayern Munich showed no mercy to Auckland City’s amateurs with a ruthless 10-0 walloping.
The first full day of action at the inaugural edition of the 32-team club tournament saw newly crowned European champions PSG produce a scintillating 4-0 rout of Atletico Madrid after Bayern’s double-digit drubbing of Auckland City.
The New Zealand minnows are one of the Cinderella stories of the tournament, made up of amateur players who had to take unpaid leave to travel to the US, but Bayern were in no mood to be charitable and duly ran riot in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Photo: EPA-EFE
Jamal Musiala scored a second-half hat-trick after coming off the bench, while Kingsley Coman, Michael Olise and Thomas Mueller all netted twice.
Sacha Boey scored the other goal in a Group C game that amounted to target practice for Bayern, who face tougher tests against CA Boca Juniors and SL Benfica.
“We have to remain modest, but it was important to be able to say that we took the game seriously,” Bayern head coach Vincent Kompany said. “It was a good first match at the tournament, but of course challenges are going to grow and it’s going to become more difficult.”
Auckland City interim coach Ivan Vicelich admitted that his team had run into the “reality of football against one of the world’s top teams.”
“It is a dream for players coming from an amateur level to play in this environment,” Vicelich said. “We knew it was going to be a very difficult game, playing against one of the top teams in the world, potentially one of the favorites for the Club World Cup, so we are just really proud of the players’ efforts.”
While Bayern were left satisfied with a clinical opening, PSG delivered a statement win over Atleti in front of an 80,619 crowd at a sun-baked Pasadena Rose Bowl — the venue of the 1994 FIFA World Cup final.
The French champions shrugged off searing heat — temperatures reached 31°C shortly after the midday kickoff — to produce the kind of adventurous, attacking display which became their calling card en route to their dazzling UEFA Champions League triumph earlier this month.
Fabian Ruiz and Vitinha gave PSG a 2-0 lead by halftime, before Senny Mayulu and Lee Kang-in sealed an impressive Group B win with late goals against an Atleti team who struggled to cope with the French side’s multifaceted attacking play.
PSG are bidding to crown a superb season which saw them win four trophies at home and in Europe.
On Sunday’s evidence, few would bet against Luis Enrique’s side being crowned world champions.
“We had the objective of making history this season, but this is a new chapter,” Luis Enrique said in his post-match news conference. “It’s a nice challenge for the players and the team, to want to keep winning. The club is hungry, the fans are hungry, the players and the team are hungry, and that’s a good feeling. We have the same objective as in other competitions, which is to go as far as possible and try to win it.”
Atletico head coach Diego Simeone refused to cite the heat as a factor in his team’s defeat.
“We both played in the same weather conditions,” Simeone said. “They played much better than we did. They have amazing players and that’s why they’ve just won everything.”
Brazilian champions Botafogo hung on for a 2-1 win at a determined Seattle Sounders.
The Copa Libertadores holders took the lead in the 28th minute when Jair Cunha rose superbly to head in a cross curled in at pace by Alex Telles.
Igor Jesus doubled the advantage on the stroke of halftime with a bullet header.
It was a different story after the break.
The Sounders dominated possession and put Botafogo’s defense under intense pressure, pulling a goal back through a deflected Cristian Roldan header.
Seattle pushed forward in search of the equalizer, but some desperate defending and fine goalkeeping from John saw the Brazilian club over the line.
SE Palmeiras drew 0-0 with Portuguese giants Porto in Group A at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
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