Sunday marks the first full day of action at the new-look Club World Cup, one that will feature several European heavyweights and a handful of intriguing matchups.
The day’s action began with one of the group stage’s most mismatched games, with six-time UEFA Champions League winners Bayern Munich facing off against the competition’s only semi-pro team, New Zealand’s Auckland City FC. The next match of the day is easily Sunday’s headlining act, with new Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain taking on Atletico Madrid at the Rose Bowl.
In the latter half of Sunday’s action, FC Porto will take on Palmeiras, the latter of whom will be the first South American side to participate in a competition that many from the continent will take very seriously. The final match of the day will see MLS’ Seattle Sounders, the 2022 winners of the Concacaf Champions Cup, take on Brazil’s Botafogo in a must-win match in a competitive Group B that includes PSG and Atletico.
Here’s a glance at Sunday’s action at the Club World Cup.
PSG continues to show that they are Europe’s best team
Facing off against Atletico Madrid without Ousmane Dembele, PSG didn’t miss a beat going ahead 2-0 in the first half against Atletico Madrid. Fabian Ruiz scored the first goal 19 minutes in before three different goal scorers found the back of the net en route to a 4-0 victory. It was a match to forget from Atletico Madrid, considering Clement Lenglet picked up a red card, and they also conceded a penalty deep into stoppage time, which could make quite a difference in the eventual goal difference.
PSG dominated the match with 74% of the possession and put 11 of their 16 shots on target. Atletico Madrid only put one shot on target during the entire match and was unable to get much going outside of a Julian Alvarez goal, which was disallowed due to a foul in the buildup. PSG are already one step closer to winning their group after this result, while Atletico Madrid now have a must-win match in their future facing the Seattle Sounders on Thursday.
Bayern Munich, as expected, destroy amateur team
Four players scored multiple goals, Jamal Musiala had a hat trick and Bayern Munich destroyed amateur side Auckland City FC 10-0 on Sunday in their Club World Cup opener. The score difference and goals scored are both records in the competition. The Bavarians had 31 shots to Aucklad’s one, 17 shots on frame to one, controlled 72 percent of possession and completed over 450 more passes than their opponents.
Auckland City FC are filled with players who have regular 40-hour work weeks and had to request time off just to be able to attend this tournament.
It was never going to be easy to keep it close, but Bayern were not letting up, setting the tone in a group they share with Benfica and Boca Juniors.
How to watch the Club World Cup on DAZN
All matches will be airing for free on the DAZN app. From the group stage through the final, the games will stream around the world with no cost to access them. Click here to watch DAZN for free.
Club World Cup schedule, scores for Sunday
All times ET, matches on DAZN (try for free)
Monday’s schedule
All times ET, matches on DAZN (try for free)
- Chelsea vs. LAFC, 3 p.m. (DAZN)
- Boca Juniors vs. Benfica, 6 p.m. (DAZN)
- Flamengo vs. Esperance de Tunis, 9 p.m. (DAZN)
