Bayern Munich secured their spot in the FIFA Club World Cup knockout stage with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Argentina's Boca Juniors in Miami on Friday. Goals from Harry Kane and Michael Olise sealed the win in a match marked by dramatic momentum shifts and a raucous crowd of over 63,000 at Hard Rock Stadium.
Kane opened the scoring in the 18th minute with a clinical left-footed strike, capitalizing on Boca's defensive lapse. The German champions dominated early play, only to see their lead erased in the 66th minute when Miguel Merentiel equalized for Boca after a spirited second-half resurgence. Olise delivered the decisive blow six minutes from time, coolly finishing a setup from Kane to silence the sea of blue-and-gold supporters.
"We knew it wouldn't be easy—playing in this heat against passionate opponents," Kane told reporters post-match. The England striker nearly doubled his tally with a first-half free kick that rattled the crossbar, while goalkeeper Manuel Neuer made crucial saves to keep Bayern in contention.
The match saw VAR controversially disallow an early Bayern goal and featured end-to-end action in the closing stages. Boca's relentless pressing after halftime briefly threatened to extend South American clubs' unbeaten tournament record before Olise's late heroics.
Bayern coach Vincent Kompany praised his team's resilience: "This squad has the character to handle these high-pressure moments. Now we reset for the next challenge." The victory sets up a quarterfinal clash as European clubs seek to reclaim dominance in the global tournament.
