The FIFA Club World Cup came to an end in Doha on Thursday.
Bayern Munich was crowned the 2020 champions of the FIFA Club World Cup on Thursday.
The German giants and Champions League holders defeated Mexico’s Tigres UANL 1-0 at the Education City Stadium in the Qatari capital.
A second half goal by right back Benjamin Pavard secured the win with just half an hour left to play.
Robert Lewandowski, Tigres’ forward Andre-Pierre Gignac and Bayern Munich’s German midfielder Joshua Kimmich won Gold, Silver and Bronze balls awards in the closing ceremony.
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Some 12,000 spectators attended the match at the new FIFA World Cup 2022 stadium, which ran at 30% capacity to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus.
The 2020 tournament was delayed to February 2021 due to the global health crisis.
Despite this, Qatar has been praised by footballing legends for hosting what was described as a “top-notch” and safe event.
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Bayern Munich’s head coach, Hans-Dieter Flick praised Qatar’s excellent preparations for the Club World Cup tournament, saying the stadium and conditions were perfect for his players.
“It’s always special to play here and we as Bayern München want to win every match,” said Flick. “We have perfect conditions – I just had a look at the pitch and the conditions are top-notch, the stadium is beautiful.”
The sentiment was echoed by Joshua Kimmich, Bayern’s midfielder who described the grass on the pitch as a “dream”.
“I just went out on to the pitch and the grass is a dream – just perfect – and that’s why I’m very much looking forward to the match,” he said.
The coach of the UEFA Champions League and 2020 Club World Cup finalists also said he is confident Qatar will be in “great shape” to host the World Club in 2022.
Similar praise was made by Egypt’s Al Ahly SC manager Pitso Mosimane who lauded Doha’s outstanding commitment to safely hosting the tournament despite the ongoing global health crisis.
With less than two years of its kick-off, the FIFA World Cup 2022 Qatar will mark the first time it the global sporting event will be held in the Middle East. The country has invested millions of dollars to ensure the “greatest ever World Cup.”
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