Paris Saint-Germain sent a powerful message in their quest for global supremacy with a commanding 4-0 win over Atletico Madrid in the FIFA Club World Cup. On a sweltering afternoon at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, the newly crowned European champions dazzled with fluid, attacking football that overwhelmed Diego Simeone’s side. Goals from Fabian Ruiz and Vitinha set the tone before second-half strikes by Senny Mayulu and Lee Kang-in sealed the Group B victory in front of over 80,000 spectators. Luis Enrique’s side, fresh off a quadruple-winning season, looked every bit the tournament favourites.
Earlier in the day, Bayern Munich dismantled amateur side Auckland City with a ruthless 10-0 thrashing in a Group C mismatch. The Bundesliga giants showed no mercy to the New Zealanders—composed mostly of part-time players—who had taken unpaid leave to compete. Jamal Musiala netted a second-half hat-trick after coming off the bench, while Kingsley Coman, Michael Olise, and Thomas Müller scored braces. Sacha Boey added another in a match that served more as target practice than competition. “It was important to take the game seriously,” said Bayern coach Vincent Kompany.
Despite the heavy loss, Auckland’s interim coach Ivan Vicelich praised his team’s effort, acknowledging the vast gulf in quality. Meanwhile, PSG’s performance against Atletico reinforced their intent to cap off a historic season with a world title. “We had the objective of making history this season, but this is a new chapter,” said Luis Enrique, clearly focused on extending PSG’s dominance onto the global stage.
