A crowd of almost entirely Bayern Munich fans cheered as the German powerhouse team took the field in Cincinnati Sunday in TQL Stadium's opening match of the FIFA Club World Cup.
The team stacked with international superstars faced an upstart Auckland City FC from New Zealand — the only team in the tournament comprised of amateur players. The entire team all have full-time jobs outside of soccer.
The final score was 10-nil.
Former professional goalkeeper and member of the New Zealand National Soccer Team known as the Football Ferns, Yvonne Vale, was in the stands to watch her son, Jordan Vale, play for the Kiwi side.
"It's incredible. This is once in a lifetime — I mean, it's happened before, but this is a new format — and just being able to play teams like Bayern Munich and Boca Juniors and Benfica is just going to be a one-in-a-lifetime opportunity for these guys," she told WVXU. "We're an amateur team, so, yeah, we don't get these opportunities; [they] don't come along too often.
Bayern Munich had their first attempt on goal in the 5th minute but it was parried away by the Auckland keeper. The following corner kick resulted in Bayern Munich's first goal, a header from Kingsley Coman in the 6th minute.
Bayern Munich struck again in the 18th minute off a laser shot from Sacha Boey that cut across the goal face. That was quickly followed by a third goal in the 20th minute from Michael Olise who smashed home a ball in the six-yard box after a miss-kick from Harry Kane.
The second goal opened the floodgates and Bayern Munich proceeded to put in two more in a span of minutes, before Auckland got stuck-in on defense. The next goal came in the closing minutes of the first half, when crowd favorite Thomas Müller — who's having a bit of a farewell tour with the team he's announced he's leaving after the tournament — side-footed a ball from Olise into the back of the net in the 45th minute.
That was followed shortly by a bending shot from just outside the 18 yard box from Olise, who notched his second of the match in first half stoppage time. The goal sent the teams into the locker rooms at halftime at 6-nil.
After the half, the German attack continued, though the Auckland side had a good opportunity on a breakaway in the 69th minute that ultimately failed to result in a goal.
Müller sent home his second goal in the closing minutes of regulation as Bayern Munich trounced the New Zealand side 10-nil.
Bayern Munich fans came from across the United States to see their team play in-person.
Kyle Lemp of Mesa, Ariz. came with his father, Paul, of South Bend, Ind. The younger Lemp said he became a fan watching Bayern Munich's Thomas Müller play for the German National Team. He usually has to wake early to watch games on television.
"I wake up nice and early. I'm from Arizona, so the games are a little earlier there," he says. "I've been watching them for years now, [and I'm] excited just to see [Müller] play."
Outside the stadium, Ashley Schliffka and her family were dressed in Bayern Munich, German National Team, and Borussia Dortmund jerseys. They came down from the Chicago area for Sunday's match.
"We watch a lot of Bayern Munich games at home. Our kids are big soccer fans, and my husband's a big soccer fan, and we just like to watch Bayern Munich," she said."When we heard they were coming to Cincinnati, that was the closest we figured they'd be coming to the Chicago area in a long time, so we hopped in the car and came to see the game."
The posted attendance for Sunday's match was 21,152.
Club World Cup schedule at TQL Stadium
Sunday, June 15 – 12 p.m. ET – Bayern Munich (GER) vs. Auckland City FC (NZL) – Group C
Wednesday, June 18 – 6 p.m. ET – CF Pachuca (MEX) vs. FC Red Bull Salzburg (AUT) – Group H
Saturday, June 21 – 12 p.m. ET – Mamelodi Sundowns FC (RSA) vs. Borussia Dortmund (GER) – Group F
Wednesday, June 25 – 3 p.m. ET – Borussia Dortmund (GER) vs. Ulsan HD FC (KOR) – Group F
READ MORE:
