‘We’re still hungry’: PSG manager Luis Enrique

Paris Saint-Germain laid down an ominous marker on their march towards global domination at the FIFA Club World Cup on Sunday as Bayern Munich showed no mercy to Auckland’s amateurs with a ruthless 10-0 walloping.

The first full day of action at the inaugural edition of the 32-team club tournament saw newly crowned European champions PSG produce a scintillating 4-0 rout of Atletico Madrid after Bayern’s double-digit drubbing of Auckland City. The New Zealand minnows are one of the Cinderella stories of the tournament, made up of amateur players who had to take unpaid leave to travel to the United States. While Bayern were left satisfied with a clinical opening, PSG delivered a statement win over Atleti in front of an 80,619 crowd at a sun-baked Pasadena Rose Bowl — the venue for the 1994 World Cup final. 

Soaring temperature

The French champions shrugged off searing heat — temperatures reached 31 degrees Celsius (88 Fahrenheit) shortly after the midday kick-off — to produce the kind of adventurous, attacking display which became their calling card en route to their dazzling Champions League triumph earlier this month. 

Luis Enrique

Fabian Ruiz and Vitinha gave PSG a 2-0 lead by half-time before Senny Mayulu and Lee Kang-in sealed an impressive Group B win with late goals against an Atleti team who struggled to cope with the French side’s multi-faceted attacking play. 

PSG are bidding to crown a superb season which saw them win four trophies at home and in Europe. On Sunday’s evidence, few would bet against Luis Enrique’s side from being crowned world champions. “We had the objective of making history this season, but this is a new chapter,” Luis Enrique said in his post-match news conference. “It’s a nice challenge for the players and the team, to want to keep winning. The club is hungry, the fans are hungry, the players and the team are hungry, and that’s a good feeling. We have the same objective as in other competitions, which is to go as far as possible and try to win it,” he added. 

Simeone hails PSG

Meanwhile, Atletico manager Diego Simeone refused to cite the heat as a factor in his team’s defeat. “We both played in the same weather conditions. They played much better than we did. They have amazing players and that’s why they’ve just won everything,” Simeone said.

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