Consequences of Bayern Munich's historic defeat

Bayern's historic defeat to Benfica In the early morning of June 25, Benfica defeated Bayern Munich 1-0 to take the top spot in Group C, FIFA Club World Cup 2025™.

In theory, that defeat meant Bayern avoided Chelsea in the round of 16. But in reality, they had just thrown away their advantage, missed the chance to top the group and faced greater risks in their quest for the world club title.

Bayern shot themselves in the foot

In front of more than 33,000 spectators at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte on the morning of June 25, Bayern lost 0-1 to Benfica in harsh weather conditions: temperatures reached 40 degrees Celsius. But no one in the "Gray Tigers" wanted to use the heat as an excuse.

“Both teams played in those conditions. We simply didn't have the focus and intensity from the start,” goalkeeper Manuel Neuer said frankly.

And as the captain said, Bayern did not lose because of the heat, but because of a lack of sharpness. They held the ball for 73% of the time, created many good chances, but could not take advantage.

Leroy Sane, Serge Gnabry, Harry Kane - the top names - all had chances to face goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin but missed one after another. Bayern's xG (expected goals) was 1.98 compared to Benfica's 0.44, but the final score was still 0-1. In top-flight football, that is unforgivable waste.

Bayern Munich wasted too many chances against Benfica.

Manager Vincent Kompany tried to downplay the loss, saying he was rotating his squad in preparation for the next round. However, the Belgian's comments did not entirely match the reaction from his players.

Joshua Kimmich admitted clearly: “We did not achieve our target. We should have had at least 1 point to top the table.”

The defeat leaves Bayern facing Flamengo in the round of 16 – a team with a rich history and the advantage of playing at home in Miami, home to a large Brazilian community. That is not the scenario Bayern wanted. If they get past Flamengo, they will likely face Paris Saint-Germain in the quarterfinals, while the other side of the bracket – where Chelsea await – looks like it will be easier.

That was the price of a careless game. Despite playing well in the second half, Bayern put themselves in a difficult position with a lack of concentration in the first half and a poor performance in front of goal.

Huge consequences

The Benfica defeat also had financial consequences. Bayern earned $33.5 million from their participation in the tournament, plus $4 million from wins over Auckland City and Boca Juniors, but no bonuses from the loss. While they still pocketed an extra $7.5 million from reaching the round of 16, they missed out on a chance to boost their income.

Notably, according to Sport Bild , if Bayern had not participated in the Club World Cup, they could have fallen into a financial deficit for the first time in decades. Going deep in this tournament is not only an honor, but also directly related to spending capacity in the transfer market.

Losing to Benfica, Bayern faces the risk of losing huge potential bonuses.

Bayern are now in the market for a new winger, and every win at the Club World Cup brings in the millions needed to do so. Beating Flamengo would net them an additional $13.125 million , enough to make a difference in the negotiations ahead.

The question is: are Bayern really ready?

Flamengo, like Boca Juniors, play with South American fire, with the spirit of a final in every match. And as Thomas Müller said after the match against Benfica: “The weather makes me feel like I’m boiling. Now it’s time to recover, focus and prepare for the next game.”

Bayern still have a chance. They have a strong squad, a deep squad, and a new coach full of enthusiasm and ideas. But the Club World Cup is not a tournament for experimentation or learning. Another mistake will see them out of the game - with financial, professional and reputational consequences.

The defeat to Benfica was not the end, but it was a timely reminder: reputation is not enough to win, opportunities do not come twice, and if Bayern do not want to paint themselves into a dead end, they need to play as if every game is a final - starting with Flamengo in Miami.

Source: https://znews.vn/he-luy-tu-tran-thua-lich-su-cua-bayern-munich-post1563586.html