Paris Saint-Germain strolled into the Club World Cup with the swagger of newly crowned European champions, while Bayern Munich gleefully savaged a team of part-timers.
It was the French giants who left the more ominous mark on Fifa's revamped club competition, dismantling Atletico Madrid 4-0 in front of 80,000 fans at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena.
Luis Enrique's side served notice of their intent to add to their haul of league, cup and Uefa Champions League in 2025 with four different scorers and zero mercy given to their opening Group B opponents.
Hours earlier in Cincinnati, Bayern dished out one of the most brutal shellackings the tournament has seen – or may ever see. Ten unanswered goals flew past Auckland City, the New Zealand semi-professionals left gasping for air.
Jamal Musiala helped himself to a second-half hat-trick off the bench, Kingsley Coman, Thomas Muller and Michael Olise each scored twice, and Sacha Boey chipped in with one. It was a mismatch that made David and Goliath look like a fair fight.
“This was about respect – for the competition and for ourselves,” Bayern manager Vincent Kompany said afterwards. “We were professional. But yes, we know sterner tests lie ahead.”
One of those sterner tests will surely come in the form of PSG, whose display against Diego Simeone’s Atletico was every bit as polished as it was ruthless. Fabian Ruiz and Vitinha pulled the strings and applied the finish in the first half; academy product Senny Mayulu and South Korea's Lee Kang-In added late gloss.
Clement Lenglet was sent off in the 78th minute with his second yellow card on a frustrating day that left Simeone visibly furious at both the referees and his players' mistakes.
For PSG boss Luis Enrique, this was less about revenge or redemption and more about legacy. “We’ve made history already this season,” he said. “But we want more. This is a hungry team, a hungry club. The objective hasn’t changed: win everything.”
Atleti were outpaced, outmanoeuvred and out-thought. No excuses from Simeone, who admitted, “They were simply better – that’s all there is.”
Temperatures reached 31º Celsius (87.8 Fahrenheit) on a scorching California afternoon, but Simeone refused to blame the heat for his team's struggles.
"I cannot blame it on the heat – we both played in the same weather conditions," Simeone said. "They played much better than we did. They have amazing players and that's why they've just won everything.
"We played better in the second half. But Paris Saint-Germain is a wonderful team and they played a wonderful game."
Vitinha, who took man of the match honours, said it is always a group effort.
"As always I am going to talk about the team," he said. "It was a very good game and it's difficult with this temperature, but we did well against a very good team. Everybody knows Atletico is a tough team, an aggressive team, but we did very well.
"We managed to control all of the game.
PSG will be back at the Rose Bowl on Thursday evening to face Botafogo.
There was no such candour in the Auckland City dugout – just pride. Interim coach Ivan Vicelich, who had to cobble together a squad of electricians, students and office workers, refused to let the scale of the defeat define their journey.
“This was a dream,” he said, without a trace of irony. “To face Bayern Munich on this stage, in this tournament, is something we’ll never forget. The scoreline hurts, sure. But the experience? You can’t put a price on that.”
For all the romanticism, Sunday made one thing abundantly clear: the gap between football’s elite and its dreamers is wider than ever. But while Bayern showed they are more than happy to play executioner, PSG look every inch the kings-in-waiting.
Botafogo kicked off their Club World Cup campaign with a 2-1 win over Seattle Sounders at Lumen Field.
Former Shabab Al Ahli striker Igor Jesus, who is on the radar of English club Nottingham Forest, scored the second of the Brazilian side's goals just before half-time after Jair Cunha had given them the lead.
In Group A, Palmeiras and Porto battled to a 0-0 draw at the MetLife Stadium, with both sides unable to convert chances in an entertaining encounter.
Brazilian side Palmeiras were denied on multiple occasions by Porto goalkeeper Claudio Ramos, whose impressive performance ensured the Portuguese club secured a hard-earned point.
The draw leaves all four teams in Group A level on one point after Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami and Egypt’s Al Ahly also shared the spoils in a 0-0 stalemate on Saturday.
