Bayern Munich beats Boca Juniors and guarantees place in the round of 16 of the Club World Cup
In a balanced duel, the Bavarian team beat the Argentines with a decisive goal from Olise at the end and maintained 100% success in Group C of the competition.
Finally, a European club beat a South American club in this edition of the Club World Cup . This Friday (20), Bayern Munich beat Boca Juniors 2-1, in a match valid for the second round of Group C. The Bavarian team faced difficulties against the Argentines, but secured the victory with a goal by Michael Olise in the final minutes of the match, played at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami .
Situation in Group C of the Club World Cup
The victory over the Argentine opponent mathematically guaranteed Bayern Munich’s qualification for the round of 16 of the Club World Cup. Group C, however, is still undecided: the second spot is still open, as is the leadership of the group.
With six points, Bayern will face Benfica (which has four) in the third and final round of the group stage. If it wins, the Portuguese team will take the lead; a draw will be enough to keep the Bavarians at the top. Boca Juniors, with only one point, needs to win its match and hope for a Benfica defeat to surpass the Portuguese team in the standings and secure qualification.
Hurricane Kane enters the game and Bayern dominates the first half at Hard Rock Stadium
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With full pressure from the opening whistle, Bayern Munich didn’t want to stand on ceremony and tried to push Boca Juniors back into their own area in the first few minutes. The German blitz had a quick effect, and in the eighth minute, Olise sent a corner kick straight into the goal a crooked Olympic goal that generated a lot of complaints. After a VAR check, the referee disallowed the goal, claiming a foul by Serge Gnabry on goalkeeper Agustín Marchesín . But not even that stopped the Bavarians. In the 18th minute, “Hurricane” Harry Kane appeared as if he didn’t want anything, took advantage of a loose ball inside the area and shot it into the corner: 1-0 Bayern. The team still had a chance to extend their lead shortly after, but Kingsley Coman , with the goal wide open in front of him, missed the target in the penalty area one of those chances that the fans can hardly believe. After spending a long time just defending themselves, Boca Juniors decided to show their faces. Kevin Zenón tested Manuel Neuer with a bomb from a free kick, and the German goalkeeper showed that he is still in good shape. The number 1 also shone with a point-blank shot in the middle of the area, keeping the score in the Bavarian advantage.
Bayern, despite being less intense, continued to cause problems. Coman found Olise in a great position, but the midfielder wasted the chance when he tried to dribble past the goalkeeper. At the end of the first half, Olise tried his luck again with a free kick, and Marchesín saved it again. And before half-time, Kane unleashed another bomb with a free kick from the front, but the ball went wide of the net.
The end of a busy first half, with German dominance and a solid performance by Harry Kane , who showed why he is a reference in Bayern’s attack.
Boca plays tricks, but Bayern resolves in the end with Olise and secures a hard-fought victory
If anyone thought the second half would be a walk in the park for Germany, they were wrong. Bayern came back from half-time keeping possession of the ball, but the pace dropped and Boca Juniors, despite being very determined, began to loosen up a bit more. Just five minutes in, Luis Advíncula ran from the defense and unleashed a rocket from distance, but the ball went over. On the other side, Leon Goretzka almost scored a great goal: he took the ball into the box, touched it, and after a clever back pass, Gnabry hit it firmly, but Marchesín made another save. Despite the attempts, the game cooled down. Bayern kept passing the ball around, but without the same fluidity and intensity as in the first half. Boca, on the other hand, even with more possession than before, seemed not to know what to do with it. Until, in the 21st minute, in a lightning counterattack, Miguel Merentiel was released on the right, got past Josip Stanisic with class and coolly shot past Neuer. All tied: 1-1, and a breath of hope for the xeneizes . The Argentine goal shook Bayern. The German team felt the blow and took a while to regain control of the match. They started to move the ball around in attack, but found a much more compact and alert Boca, closing down the spaces and cutting out almost everything. The first dangerous shot after the draw came only in the 39th minute but it was worth two. After a scramble in the area, Kane played the pivot and Olise unleashed a bomb into the corner: 2-1. In celebration, the midfielder even sent a provocative “shhh” to the Boca fans.
At 42, the third almost came. Konrad Laimer took off at speed, exchanged passes with Thomas Müller and finished with a lob. Great goal? Almost. The linesman went up and VAR confirmed the offside. In the eight minutes of injury time, Bayern kept the pressure on and had chances to kill it off once and for all, but the score remained at 2-1 a hard-fought but deserved victory.
What’s next?
Bayern Munich returns to the field next Tuesday (24), against Benfica, for the third and final round of the Club World Cup group stage. The ball starts rolling at 4 pm (Brasília time), at the Bank of America Stadium . On the same day, time and round, Boca Juniors will face Auckland City , at Geodis Park .
