Bayern revel in their six appeal after Club World Cup conquest

Bayern Munich boss Hansi Flick hailed his players' hunger and resilience after the European champions' 1-0 victory over Tigres UANL to claim the Club World Cup in Qatar and their sixth trophy since June.

France international Benjamin Pavard scored the only goal of the game against the Concacaf champions in the second-half to complete a clean sweep of domestic, European and international trophies.

“They managed something historic,” said Bayern Munich boss Hansi Flick. “Six titles in one season, that's something only Barcelona has achieved. As successful as Bayern Munich is, this is the best season we have played."

Pep Guardiola, who steered Barcelona to six titles in 2009, hailed Flick's success on social media.

"A big congratulations to Hansi, the players and the backroom staff," said Guardiola who managed Bayern for three seasons before moving to Manchester City.

Bayern suffered a blow in the prelude to Thursday night's game at the Education City Stadium in Al Rayyan when veteran midfielder Thomas Mueller tested positive for coronavirus.

“He is a little tired but I think that's pretty normal when you get such a diagnosis,” added Flick. “He is concerned but other than that he is doing pretty well.”

Bayern's trophy haul started in June 2020 when they clinched their eighth successive Bundesliga title. They added the DFB-Pokal to that with a 4-2 victory over Bayer Leverkusen.

In August in Lisbon they beat Paris Saint-Germain to lift the Uefa Champions League.

Exceptional game
The European Super Cup followed in September at the expense of Sevilla and they hoisted their fifth title with a German Super Cup success over Borussia Dortmund.

"When you look at everything, the trip here and the fact that there was a lot of unrest in recent days, the team performed an exceptional game,” said Flick. “I believe the victory was never at risk. We were dominant and our victory in this final was justified."

Bayern continue their hunt for the 2021 Bundesliga title on Monday when they host Arminia Bielefeld at the Allianz Arena in Munich.

“Six titles, okay: well, there will be defeats too,” said Flick, who took over from Niko Kovac in November 2019. “I don't necessarily think we'll be able to keep this up.”

The African champions Al-Ahly claimed third place. They won the penalty shoot-out after the match against their South American counterparts Palmeiras finished 0-0.