Bayern Munich absolutely demolished Auckland City in the FIFA Club World Cup’s first round this season. There were goals galore, and it looks like Bayern means business this tournament. Here’s our Awards for the match.
Jersey Swap: Mario Ilich
Auckland City didn’t exactly show up to this game with their best performance, but credit where credit is due, they gave it their all for the entire 90 minutes. One of the best players on the pitch, and one of the few to play the full 90 for Auckland City, Mario Ilich certainly showed that the club wasn’t planning on giving up even after conceding every one of those 10 goals.
Der Kaiser: Sacha Boey
Vincent Kompany made the executive decision to add Sacha Boey to the starting XI, and the Frenchman did not disappoint. Aside from providing one assist and scoring another, Boey was all over the pitch today. He got 90 minutes of playing time, and used all 90 of those minutes with all sorts of contributions to both defense and attack.
Der Fußballgott: Joshua Kimmich
Bias aside, Kimmich put in a great shift today. He may not have been the most decisive in the final third, but he definitely gave the squad a fluid connection between the back line and the attack. Some key passes throughout the game, a few crosses, and a couple of long balls ended up giving Kimmich the edge over Aleksandar Pavlović. The youngster deserves a shout out here too for his performance.
Der Bomber: Thomas Müller
Oh, the pleasure of putting down that name in this list. Müller surprisingly played all 90 minutes today, and definitely had something to show for it. Two goals and an assist places him way above Harry Kane (let’s not even talk about him) and Serge Gnabry in the rankings. While Jamal Musiala and Kingsley Coman definitely deserve consideration, especially after the latter scored the first goal of the tournament, Müller really pulled through.
Meister of the Match: Michael Olise
Despite the temptations to put Müller here too, Olise, Mr. Nonchalant himself, put in pretty much a perfect performance today, and that cannot be ignored. He had more contributions than anyone else on the pitch (2 goals and 2 assists), and was simply unstoppable in the final third. That second goal was almost Ribéry-esque, and it was quite satisfying to watch. Overall, the Frenchman had a very good game, and deserves every bit of this award.
What do you think of our awards? Let us know in the comments if you agree or disagree with any of them!
Looking for more thoughts and analysis on Bayern Munich’s massive 10-0 victory over Auckland City FC? Awesome, then check out our Bavarian Podcast Works — Postgame Show to get a breakdown on the lineups, the scoring and subs, plus some takeaways from the match. You can get the show on Patreon, Acast, Spotify, any leading podcast distributor, or below:
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