Before the game, all eyes were on Jamal Musiala. The stadium director followed him for minutes as he warmed up until his much larger teammate Min-jae Kim pushed himself into the picture in front of the FC Bayern midfielder so resolutely that the director gave up and switched to another camera. The question was whether Musiala, who was back in the squad for the first time in 196 days after breaking his fibula at the Club World Cup, would be substituted.
Aiko Tanaka
Aiko Tanaka is a combat sports journalist and general sports reporter at Archysport. A former competitive judoka who represented Japan at the Asian Games, Aiko brings firsthand athletic experience to her coverage of judo, martial arts, and Olympic sports. Beyond combat sports, Aiko covers breaking sports news, major international events, and the stories that cut across disciplines — from doping scandals to governance issues to the business side of global sport. She is passionate about elevating the profile of underrepresented sports and athletes.
