Bayern Munich booked a place in the quarter-final stage of the FIFA Club World Cup with a well-earned 4-2 victory over Brazilian powerhouse Flamengo on Sunday. The game was a highly entertaining encounter. Both teams played on the front foot from the word go and pressed well thereafter.
An own goal and long-range strike from Harry Kane inside the opening 10 minutes seemingly knocked the wind out of the South American team’s sails, but Flamengo responded well and ensured that Bayern had to work hard for victory. Even though the 4-2 scoreline didn’t reflect the effort and enterprise shown by Flamengo, in the end, the German Champions were deserved winners. With the exception of Leroy Sané, Bayern were clinical in the final third and also more resolute than the opposition in defense.
Let’s look at some key takeaways from Sunday’s victory, which earned Bayern a mouth-watering quarter-final clash against Europe’s new big boys on the block-Paris Saint-Germain.
High energy levels from Bayern
Unlike the previous game which Bayern lost 1-0 to Benfica, with the exception of Jamal Musiala, Vincent Kompany fielded his strongest possible XI to start the game against Flamengo.
Considering the hot weather and pace at which the game was played, particularly in the first half, it was refreshing to see Bayern match the opposition’s drive and get off to a fast start in more ways than one. The German Champions pressed and counter-pressed to start the game and were rewarded with timely interceptions, which thwarted the South American side.
Key to that approach was the mentality displayed by the back-four, most notably from Dayot Upamecano and Konrad Laimer. Less than ten minutes into the game, in one motion, Upamecano counter-pressed in Flamengo's half, dispossessed one of their players, and set up Harry Kane for Bayern’s second goal, all with one excellently executed tackle. It was a classic case of the high-risk/high-reward. In the case of Konrad Laimer, he was everywhere up and down the right flank and had an indirect role in Bayern’s other two goals scored by Goretzka and Kane.