Bayern Munich’s English striker Harry Kane said on Friday he is relishing the Club World Cup’s “special” atmosphere and is confident the German team could now go all the way.
Kane scored the opener for Bayern in a 2-1 win over Argentina’s Boca Juniors at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami that took his side through to the last 16.
It had been a tough challenge in the heat and humidity of South Florida, he said.
Photo: Getty Images via AFP
“There’s something special about these World Cup games and next year will be the same,” he said. “When you come off that pitch and you’re sweating and you’re dripping and you’re cramping and you’ve given everything on the pitch. There’s a special feeling inside, especially when you win. That’s what we had today.”
Boca responded to Kane’s opener through Miguel Merentiel, but Michael Olise sealed the win six minutes from time.
“Really tough game. I thought the first half was really good, I mean we probably should have been 2 or 3-0 up. They hung in the game and the second half made it more difficult,” said Kane, who acknowledged the incredible support of more than 55,000 Boca fans in the 63,587 crowd.
“I mean it felt like an away game out there for sure, their fans were really loud. It was a great experience to play in front of them and I think that’s what makes the win even more special, because it feels like a good away win,” he said. “So we’re really happy, really pleased and we’ll sleep well tonight.”
Bayern’s win was the first for a European team against South American opposition in the tournament and Kane said he was enjoying pitting himself against opponents European clubs rarely face.
“I think it’s great to experience different teams and I think you’ve seen in this tournament already, the South American teams especially have caused big problems for some of the European teams. So it shows how big football is worldwide and how good some of these players are. You have to be ready for the next game, the next opportunity. So yeah, I’m loving this tournament so far and hopefully we’re going to be here for a while,” he said.
Kane added that he was confident Bayern had a real chance to win the competition.
“I think we have a good opportunity. We started the tournament really well. I think the style we play is difficult for any team,” he said.
Elsewhere at the Club World Cup, Portugal’s SL Benefica sailed past Auckland City with a 6-0 win in Orlando, Florida, a slight improvement for the struggling New Zealand team over their 10-0 loss to Bayern on Monday, but placing them at the bottom of group C.
In Philadelphia, Brazil’s Flamengo saw off England’s Chelsea with a 3-1 victory to top group D.
In Nashville, Tennessee, the Tunisian side Esperance Tunis secured a 1-0 win over Los Angeles FC, with both teams remaining in the bottom half of the group.
Additional reporting by staff writer
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