Bayern restore measure of European pride with Boca win to reach last 16
Bayern Munich's Michael Olise scores their second goal REUTERS/Marco Bello
(Reuters) - Bayern Munich reignited the flickering flame of European honour at the Club World Cup, battling through a tense, fiery showdown to claim a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Boca Juniors and storm into the last 16 on Friday.
Backed by a roaring sea of blue-and-yellow clad fans who turned the Hard Rock Stadium into a noisy outpost of their "Bombonera", Boca Juniors fought fiercely, but Bayern's resilience shone through in the closing stages.
After Harry Kane gave the German champions an early lead, Boca equalised through Miguel Merentiel, only for Michael Olise to score a late winner that lifted Bayern to the top of Group C on six points, two ahead of Benfica.
Boca, on one point, remain in contention as they face amateurs Auckland City in the last round of matches while Bayern will take on Benfica.
The win marked a welcome rebound for European sides, who have faced a tough run at the tournament with Porto, Paris St Germain and Chelsea all suffering recent defeats.
In a thrilling second half, Boca made Bayern fight for every ball in a match brimming with tension and bite.
In a thunderous atmosphere, the German side made a bright start and thought they had taken the lead when Olise's in-swinging corner flew directly into the net, only for VAR to spot a foul on Boca's goalkeeper.
The pressure eventually told in the 18th minute when Harry Kane latched onto a loose clearance and toe-poked a composed finish into the bottom corner after Konrad Laimer's cross from the right for his first goal in the tournament after drawing a blank in his team's 10-0 demolition of Auckland City.
Serge Gnabry scrambled the ball across the face of goal minutes later, but Kingsley Coman somehow failed to connect with what would have been a simple tap-in.
Manuel Neuer had little to do in the first half, though he was called into action to make two smart saves from Kevin Zenon as Boca refused to back down.
The Argentine side pressed higher after the break, showing typical grit and tenacity in the duels and slightly unsettling Bayern with their relentless aggression.
Spurred on by deafening chants from their travelling support, Boca clawed their way back into the contest, forcing several anxious moments in the German defence as tempers flared and challenges flew in.
In the 66th minute, Olise was harassed off the ball by three Boca players and Merentiel was fed in down the right and kept his composure to skip past Josip Stanisic before firing a shot past Neuer, sending the crowd into rapture as the whole stadium trembled.
Bayern's composure eventually told as Olise bent one into the bottom corner after being set up by Kane six minutes from time.
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