Bayern light up Club World Cup with opening win against Auckland City

Bayern enjoyed a day to remember as they beat Auckland City in their opening game of the 2025 Club World Cup in Cincinnati. They put 10 unanswered goals past the New Zealanders, but it wasn’t just the result and the scoreline that produced smiles among fans. From Jamal Musiala’s hat-trick to Thomas Müller’s milestone goal or Michael Olise’s Man of the Match display and Jonathan Tah’s debut, Bayern lit up the Club World Cup as they made their bow in the USA.

Musiala hat-trick on return

There’s little better way to mark your comeback from a two-and-a-half month layoff with a hamstring injury than hitting a hat-trick off the bench. That’s exactly what Musiala did in Cincinnati, coming on in the 61st minute and playing like he’d never been away. The 22-year-old’s three goals took the score to 9-0 and captivated all inside TQL Stadium. “When a forward scores, that’s great. He won’t need to discuss much after this game and will feel good tomorrow,” enthused coach Vincent Kompany of his super-sub.

Müller’s 250th goal

Müller is playing his final games for Bayern at this Club World Cup and has already made his mark on the tournament. He scored the fifth goal of the afternoon inside the first half before rounding off the double-digit scoreline in the closing minutes. Not only did it complete the biggest win in Club World Cup history but also took the 35-year-old to 250 competitive goals for his boyhood team. “The stadium was full. The fans enjoyed the goals. It was fun. We want to keep going like this. We won’t always get results like this, but the way we played is what we want to take into the next games,” said the man himself.

Olise Man of the Match, Coman also impresses

There was a real French flair to Bayern’s first-half display. Olise was a constant threat down the right, scoring two and setting up another couple in the opening 45 minutes to earn himself the Man of the Match award from FIFA. Compatriot Kingsley Coman was no less impressive on the left, opening the scoring with the first of his two goals, while he also got an assist. “It was a good game from all our forwards today,” praised Kompany.

Tah enjoys debut

New signing Tah only joined up with the squad on Thursday but was handed his Bayern debut against Auckland, playing the full 90 minutes in central defence. In an all-round good defensive display, the Germany international took command at the back and was also involved further forward, even setting up Coman’s opener with a header from a corner. “It was a lot of fun with the way we played, the conviction in almost every situation. We need to keep it up. We could’ve actually done more in a couple of situations to get even more. We’re ready for the next games,” the 29-year-old stated.

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