Robert Lewandowski scored a brace in a 2-0 win over Al-Ahly in the FIFA Club World Cup semi-finals, bringing Bayern Munich a step closer to a historic sextuple ahead of Thursday's final.

>> Click here for Bayern-Tigres team news and LIVE blog!

Al Ahly 0-2 Bayern Munich
Goals: 0-1 Lewandowski (17'), 0-2 Lewandowski (86')

Bayern settled into their stride quickly and had their first clear opening of the match in the eighth minute when Serge Gnabry’s late run into the box was picked out by Benjamin Pavard, but he could only head over the bar. Thomas Müller had the next chance on the quarter-hour mark, but he directed his free header straight at Al Ahly goalkeeper Mohamed El Shenawy. Lewandowski showed his teammates how it was done a short while later though, calmly collecting Gnabry’s pull-back before slotting in from eight yards out. It was the least Bayern deserved for their relentless pressure, and they could have had more before the interval, with Marc Roca dragging an effort wide before seeing another saved, before Lewandowski was uncharacteristically wasteful when one-on-one with El Shenawy, his chip going over the goalkeeper but also over the crossbar.

Manuel Neuer had largely been a spectator in the first half, but he was more involved after the interval as the Egyptian side reemerged from the break with renewed purpose. Yet while they got forward well on a number of occasions and looked more secure at the back, they never managed to carve out a clear-cut opportunity to level the score. Bayern struggled to recapture their earlier superiority and flowing football, and were largely reduced to long-distance shots from David Alaba and substitute Leroy Sane, before Lewandowski put the outcome of the game beyond all doubt in the 86th minute. Sane did superbly to chase down a pass that appeared to have sent him too far wide, but he dug out a lofted cross from the byline that floated over El Shenawy and left Lewandowski with a simple header – his 29th goal of the season in 27 games – to book Bayern’s place in Thursday’s final against Mexican side Tigres.

Match stats

• Just last month, Lewandowski became only the fourth active player to reach 500 career goals, after Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Zlatan Ibrahimovic. He has scored 275 of them for Bayern.
• Bayern are playing in their second Club World Cup. The tournament did not take place in the year they won the 2000/01 Champions League.
• Alaba, Jerome Boateng, Javi Martinez, Müller and Neuer are the five surviving members of Bayern's 2013 Club World Cup winners.
• Canada's Davies was only 13 at the time, but made his pro debut two years later, for Vancouver Whitecaps. He, like the majority of the Bayern squad, is a Club World Cup debutant.
• Müller is Bayern's second best scorer this season after Lewandowski, with 11 competitive goals. He is also second for assists, albeit only one behind Joshua Kimmich's 13.
• Flick can become the first German coach to win the Club World Cup.

Line-ups

Al Ahly: El Shenawy (c) - Hany, Benoun, Ayman, Maâloul (Ibrahim 28') - Fathy, El Soulia (Dieng 70') - El Shahaat (S. Mohsen 69'), Afsha, Kahraba (Bwalya 69') - Taher (Sherif 83')
Unused subs: Lotfy, Ramadan Beckham, Ajayi, Tawfik, Samir, M. Mohsen, Shobeir
Out: Ajayi (ankle), Mahmoud (knee), Metwaly (knee), Nedved (knee)
Coach: Pitso Mosimane

Bayern: Neuer (c) - Pavard, Boateng (Süle 77'), Alaba, Davies - Kimmich, Roca (Tolisso 69') - Gnabry (Sane 62'), Müller (Choupo-Moting 62'), Coman (Musiala 78') - Lewandowski
Unused subs: Schneller, Hoffmann, Costa, Sarr, Hernandez, Dantas
Out: Goretzka (not included), Martinez (not included), Nianzou (thigh), Nübel (ankle)
Coach: Hansi Flick

As it happened!

Want more Bundesliga Action?

GET THE UPDATES!