Vincent Kompany felt Bayern Munich kept a lid on their emotions after his side held out to beat Boca Juniors 2-1 at the Club World Cup.
Michael Olise’s late goal sealed a 2-1 victory for Bayern on Friday, as the Bundesliga champions secured their spot in the last 16.
Harry Kane put Bayern ahead in Miami, but Argentine giants Boca equalised through Miguel Merentiel in the 66th minute.
Kompany explained it would have been easy for his team to allow the nerves to kick in, but instead they regained their composure.
“We had to work a lot today but we got the job done – we’re in the last 16 and I’m really pleased about that,” he said.
“You saw how tough it is for European teams to play against South American sides. I think we did it really well.
“We controlled the emotions in the game. Yes, we conceded a goal but we stayed calm. And the way we saw the game out was very mature. Overall it was a solid performance.”
While the sparse crowds at some Club World Cup games have made headlines, Kompany was astounded with the atmosphere at the Hard Rock Stadium.
“The atmosphere was just unbelievable. If you’re not here, you can’t comprehend it but when you’re in the middle of it, it’s an experience, a privilege,” the Bayern boss added.
“We’re happy to have started the tournament with two wins.”
Bayern’s win over Boca ended a run of nine straight matches unbeaten for South American teams to begin the Club World Cup, with Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea having already fallen foul of Botafogo and Flamengo, respectively.
Kane, who opened his account for the tournament after failing to find the net in Bayern’s 10-0 rout of Auckland City, feels his team’s progression to the next round is just reward for how seriously they are taking this competition.
“It was a big performance from the guys,” Kane said. “We knew it wasn’t going to be easy with the hot weather. The first half was really good, we should have been two or three up. It was tougher in the second, they put us under a bit of pressure and got the momentum, but once they scored we shifted it back in our direction.
“It was great to score the goal and seal qualification. It’s a massive tournament, we’re playing against the best teams in the world. Our attitude is always that we need to produce our highest level. So far it’s going well in this competition.”
Bayern round off their Group C campaign next Tuesday against Benfica, who beat Auckland 6-0 in their second match of the competition, at the Bank of America Stadium.