Robert Lewandowski celebrates his goal, during the semifinal match between Bayern Munich and Al Ahly Credit: AP Photo / Hussein Sayed
Not even having spent seven hours inside a plane that was not authorized to take off from the Berlin runway to Qatar, a setback that on Saturday made manager Karl-Heinz Rummenigge explode with fury, defocused Bayern Munich from its status as favorite to qualify to the final of the Club World Cup. With a 2-0 win over Al Ahly (Egypt) at Al Rayyan’s Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium, the German team will face Tigres de Monterrey for the title on Thursday.
Bayern, which also assimilated the 25-degree difference in temperature between -6 in Germany and 18 in Doha, came to the Club World Cup as the champion who swept the Champions League, with a full 11 wins. Their transition as a set that marks an era is close to equaling a famous record of Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona, who in his first season (2008/09) achieved the sextete of titles. Hans Dieter Flick’s team is missing the Club World Cup to add it to the Bundesliga, German Cup, Champions League, and the European and German Super Cups.
As in so many other successes, the 2-0 was marked by Robert Lewandowski, author of the two goals. The Pole, who was awarded The Best by FIFA in 2020, appeared on time to define assists from Gnabry and Sané.
For Lewandowski there is no jet lag or delays that affect his scoring nose and his sense of location to finish the plays. In the season he has 29 goals in 27 games, distributed in this way: 24 in the Bundesliga, three in the Champions League and two in the World Cup. The final can also be constituted in a duel between scorers, since the French André-Pierre Gignac has 17 in 23 matches this season with Tigres, which has the Argentines Nahuel Guzmán and Guido Pizzaro, headlines in the 1-0 over Palmeiras the semifinals.
Robert Lewandowski celebrates his goal with his teammate, Leroy Sane Credit: AP Photo / Hussein Sayed
“We had a good game and we are ready for the final. This is a World Cup, something always special,” said Lewandowski, chosen man of the match. 12,000 spectators were allowed in the stands, all with masks and distributed in different sectors. Coach Flick felt something strange in this partial return to the old normal: “In Germany we play in empty stadiums. Doing it with the public is something different for us. I noticed again that my instructions are less heard with the shouting of the public.”
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