Sellout crowd parties as Bayern beats Boca 2-1 to advance to Club World Cup Round of 16
From the moment the Club World Cup draw was announced last winter, one group stage match that jumped out was Bayern Munich vs. Boca Juniors at Hard Rock Stadium, two of the most decorated clubs in the world, steeped in tradition, backed by passionate fans, in a city that loves a good late-night soccer party.
A sellout crowd of 63,587 was on hand Friday night for the clash of continental giants and they got a thriller that ended in a 2-1 Bayern victory after Michael Olise's game-winning goal in the 84th minute.
Olise, the English-born midfielder who plays for the French national team, had an Olimpico goal nullified in the early minutes of the game after VAR ruled there was a foul on the play. But he was able to get on the scoresheet late and secure the win, which pushed Bayern through to the Round-of-16.
Bayern was the first of the tournament's 32 teams to reach the knockout stage.
Boca's royal blue and yellow outnumbered Bayern's red, and the fun-loving Argentines serenaded their heroes, bounced, and waved their arms in unison from the first whistle until the last. It was the first sellout crowd so far in this Club World Cup.
The Boca fans booed loudly during Bayern player introductions and for the second time in a week, Hard Rock Stadium looked and sounded like La Bombonera in Buenos Aires. The deafening chants of 'Dale, Dale, Boca' surely were ringing in fans' ears as they headed to the stadium exits.
Bayern entered as strong favorites after a ruthless 10-0 thumping of semi-pro New Zealand club Auckland City in its opening game, while Boca was determined to get in the win column after a 2-2 tie against Benfica.
Harry Kane, the English national team captain, was not among the Bayern players who scored in the opener, but he struck first on Friday in the 18th minute and raced to the corner to celebrate.
Bayern, unfazed by the loud pro-Boca crowd, dominated play during the entire first half and had a few other scoring chances, the best after a strong run by Coman in transition, leading to a pass to Olise, who was unable to get it past Marchesin.
Boca was fortunate to be down just 1-0 at intermission.
The second half was a different story. The Argentine club stepped up, spent much more time in Bayern's half of the field, and got an equalizer in the 66th minute on a blistering golazo from Uruguayan forward Miguel Merentiel.
Boca's fans went wild, many of the men took off their shirts and waved them wildly as the players celebrated on the field.
Bayern players anticipated a physical, spirited game from their Argentine opponents.
'You don't come across these kinds of games very often at the European level, where the opponent is so aggressive,' Serge Gnabry said in the lead-up to the game. 'But we have to hold our own and concentrate on our game. Then it'll be a game like any other. The stadium will be very loud, it will be a great game. I'm a big Boca fan.'
The Argentine club was missing Ander Herrera and former Inter Miami defender Nico Figal for Friday's match, as both were handed four-match bans by FIFA Disciplinary Committee after being red-carded during the opening match against Benfica at Hard Rock Stadium last week.
Spanish midfielder Herrera, who had been subbed off due to an injury, was shown a red card in the 45th minute after arguing with referee Cesar Ramos from the bench over a penalty awarded to Benfica.
Figal was ejected in the 88th minute on a flagrant foul on Florentino Luis. Figal later issued an apology to fans on his social media channels.
The only previous official match between Bayern Munich and Boca Juniors was on Nov. 27, 200, in Tokyo, Japan, in the Intercontinental Cup. Bayern, coming off a Champions League title, won the tense match 1-0 on a goal by Samuel Kuffour in extra time.
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