Bayern Munich and Paris St-Germain: Who laid down the biggest marker?

It was the biggest win in FIFA Club World Cup history as Bayern Munich thumped Auckland 10-0 in their Group C opener on Sunday.

But was Paris St-Germain’s stunning 4-0 victory over Spanish giants Atletico Madrid the greatest statement of intent so far?

Here, DAZN News compares and contrasts the victories by two of the tournament favourites who both laid down hugely impressive markers.

Margin of victory

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There is no denying that Bayern Munich have the edge on PSG in this category after putting 10 goals past Auckland City.

Vincent Kompany's men were imperious during a first half which saw Kingsley Coman and Michael Olise bag braces and Sacha Boey and Thomas Muller also notch.

After the break Jamal Musiala claimed centre stage with a second-half hat-trick and Muller completed the scoring for his 250th Bayern goal.

Read | Witnessing the rising Bayern Munich star who upstaged Harry Kane on the world stage

It has to be remembered, though, that the Bundesliga champions were playing an Auckland side who are made up of several part-timers.

The value Bayern’s squad in transfer fees was estimated at £770million, around 700 times that of Auckland City’s squad value of just over £1.2million.

Newly-crowned UEFA Champions League winners Paris St-Germain, meanwhile, crushed Atletico 4-0, a hugely impressive scoreline given the quality of their opposition.

PSG landed the first blow through Fabián Ruiz and doubled their advantage just before half-time through Vitinha.

Substitute Senny Mayulu added a third goal for PSG in the 87th minute while Lee Kang-in fired home a stoppage-time penalty to round off the scoring.

Strength in depth and striking quality

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It said everything about the quality within Bayern Munich’s ranks that they put 10 goals past Auckland City and Harry Kane was not among the scorers.

England striker Kane has notched 30 goals or more in his last three seasons and is universally regarded as one of the world’s greatest centre forwards.

After he was withdrawn by Kompany on the hour after going close to scoring but not quite managing to find the net.

Instead centre stage went to Jamal Musiala, who did not start but how he finished, bagging three goals in 23 minutes after replacing Kane shortly after the hour mark.

It was a reminder of the depth of striking talent in Kompany’s squad as they bid to go all the way in this summer’s revamped FIFA Club World Cup.

Similarly, PSG are overflowing with world-class players and Désiré Doué, one of the breakout stars from the past season, shone brightly once again.

Doué has proven himself a key attacker for Luis Enrique since joining from Rennes last summer and the 20-year-old was influential on Sunday, fortifying PSG's right flank alongside Achraf Hakimi and punishing the Atletico players on that wing.

Doué was involved in the game's opening goal, combining with Hakimi to break down the Atletico defence and help get the ball to Ruiz for the opening strike.

Doué was a constant threat and could be one of the stars of the tournament based on his opening salvo.

 

Style of play

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There will come a time to properly judge Bayern Munich at this FIFA Club World Cup, but Sunday’s evisceration of Auckland City was not it.

The aristocratic Germans attacked at will during the first half and peppered Conor Tracey’s goal – the 6-0 interval advantage was the least they deserved.

But the match was one-way traffic and far greater tests lie ahead for Kompany’s side, starting with Boca Juniors next up.

PSG, meanwhile, put on a masterclass against Atletico and it was a joy to behold at times.

Luis Enrique’s side played with the swagger of European champions from the opening whistle, as they controlled possession in a manner reminiscent of Pep Guardiola's Barcelona in the late 2000s and early 2010s.

Having beaten Inter Milan 5-0 in Munich to win the Champions League last month – to claim to the biggest-ever win in a European Cup final – Paris St-Germain arrived in the US bubbling with confidence.

It showed against Atletico and next up for them is a clash with Botafogo.

 

FIFA Club World Cup title potential

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Bookmakers may have decided to shorten their odds on Bayern Munich and Paris St-Germain being crowned champions after watching them dispatch Auckland City and Atletico Madrid respectively in such emphatic fashion.

There is no doubt that Kompany and Enrique are desperate to go all the way in the tournament and see their teams officially recognised as the best club side on the planet.

Five-time European champions Bayern and PSG both have the potential to go all the way and it will take a special team to stop them.

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