A 59th-minute Benjamin Pavard goal earned dominant FC Bayern München a 1-0 victory over Tigres UANL in the final and their second FIFA Club World Cup™ triumph. It also completed a magnificent sextuple for the Bavarian behemoths, emulating the achievement of Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona in 2009/10.
Bayern thought they had taken the lead in the 18th minute. The in-form Joshua Kimmich hit a brilliant, outside-of-the-boot shot from distance into the bottom corner, but after checking VAR it was determined Robert Lewandowski, who had interfered with play in Nahuel Guzman’s line of vision, was offside and the goal was disallowed.
Soon after, Kingsley Coman cannily tricked his way inside from the left and forced Guzman into a smart save, before Leroy Sane hit the post from distance.
Bayern made the breakthrough just before the hour mark. Lewandowski’s header from Kimmich’s inch-perfect cross was blocked by Guzman, but the ball fell to Pavard, who tucked it into the unguarded net. The goal was ruled offside at first, but after a VAR check, the goal was confirmed.
Guzman then pushed a Corentin Tolisso effort on to the post, and made a double save from Douglas Costa and Kimmich.
Tigres, to their credit, never gave up and Andre-Pierre Gignac, metres out, was inches away from connecting with a Javier Aquino flick-on in the final stages, but Bayern were wholly deserving of their victory.
Credit: FIFA
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