Bayern beat Tigres in Club World Cup final to earn sixth trophy in nine monthsGerman side match Barça ‘09 in winning all six available titles
‘We have the six-pack,’ says Lewandowski after Pavard winner
Bayern Munich beat Mexican side Tigres 1-0 on Thursday to win the Club World Cup title and earn their sixth trophy in less than nine months. Benjamin Pavard scored in the 59th minute following a VAR review and in front of around 12,000 spectators allowed into the Education City Stadium, after Tigres keeper Nahuel Guzmán had stopped a Robert Lewandowski header. “We have the six-pack now,” Lewandowski said. “This is a special story. We were desperate to win this title. Now we can savour this on the flight back.” The Germans, who also twice hit the woodwork, won all domestic and European titles they competed for in 2020 and are the first team to match Barcelona’s sextuple from 2009. It was also Bayern coach Hansi Flick’s sixth trophy since he took over in November 2019. The Bavarians were missing several players, including Thomas Müller, Leon Goretzka and Javi Martínez to Covid-19 infections and Jérôme Boateng who returned to Germany for personal reasons. Early efforts from Kingsley Coman and Lewandowski did not seriously threaten Guzmán, although the Tigres goalkeeper was beaten in the 18th minute by Joshua Kimmich but the German’s 20-metre strike was disallowed for offside.
Leroy Sané hit the crossbar with a powerful shot in the 34th minute. Tigres were struggling to break clear and with their French striker André-Pierre Gignac completely marked, it was only a matter of time until the Germans scored.
Sané had another chance after the break and Serge Gnabry curled his 51st-minute shot wide before Pavard found the net in the 59th minute, despite Tigres players claiming the ball had first landed on Lewandowski’s arm.
Bayern should have added another with a string of chances late in the game and Corentin Tolisso hit the post with a low shot as well.
“We are annoyed by the result, but we faced a great team,” said Gignac, who scored three goals in his previous two games in the competition. “We represented Mexico with heart and power. This second place is spectacular for us.”
It is Bayern’s second Club World Cup title after their 2013 triumph, and means European clubs have now won the last eight consecutive finals.
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/feb/11/bayern-beat-tigres-in-club-world-cup-final-to-earn-sixth-trophy-in-nine-months
