Benfica top Bayern to reach Club World Cup last 16
Benfica top Bayern to reach Club World Cup last 16
Andreas Schjelderup (left) scored the only goal of the match against the German champions. Photo: Reuters
Portugal's Benfica beat German champions Bayern Munich 1-0 to book their place in the last 16 of the Club World Cup while finishing top of their group.
Bayern, who had never lost to Benfica in a competitive game before, still qualified as Group C runners-up and will face Brazil's Flamengo in the knockout stage.
Benfica will face either Chelsea or Esperance from Group D.
With Bayern already sure of their place in the knockout stage, their coach Vincent Kompany made seven changes to his starting line-up and it showed in a sloppy first-half display.
Only goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, defender Josip Stanisic, left-back Raphael Guerreiro and winger Serge Gnabry were kept from the team which beat Boca in the previous game.
Benfica needed a win or a draw to join Bayern in the next round and eliminate Boca Juniors, who were playing Auckland.
The Lisbon side began brightly and Neuer was brought into action early to save a Renato Sanches effort from the edge of the box.
Benfica grabbed the lead in the 13th minute when Fredrik Aursnes got to the byline and pulled the ball back. Norwegian winger Andreas Schjelderup met it with a first-time effort which he buried into the bottom corner.
The game was played in intense heat which had an impact on the tempo of the game, with both teams playing at a slow pace and conserving energy.
Bayern had one opportunity before the break when Gnabry pulled the ball back to Leroy Sane, but the former Manchester City winger fired high over the bar.
Kompany, who knew his side risked losing top spot in the group, had seen enough from his back-up players and made a triple substitution at the break bringing on Harry Kane, Michael Olise and Joshua Kimmich.
Bayern pushed forward in search of a goal that could have sent them back to top of the group but Anatoliy Trubin was out fast to deny Sane and deep in stoppage time Kane mistimed a header from close range. (AFP)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South China Morning Post
9 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
Club World Cup's only Chinese player tells how Auckland salvaged pride
Zhou Tong, the only Chinese player at the Club World Cup, saw his Auckland City side end their tournament on an upbeat note on Tuesday as they held Argentine giants Boca Juniors to a surprise draw. The minnows from New Zealand had been trounced in their previous games in the United States. They were on the wrong end of an embarrassing mismatch when the event got under way last week, receiving a 10-0 drubbing by Bayern Munich. They then suffered a 6-0 reverse to Benfica. Veteran winger Zhou said that, even as amateur players, such scorelines amounted to 'a disgrace', and had spurred City on to salvage some pride. And they did just that in Nashville as a 1-1 draw with Boca gave Auckland something to savour in their final group game, which Zhou sat out after being substituted under concussion protocols during the Benfica clash. Christian Gray celebrates Auckland's equaliser against Boca on Tuesday. via AFP 'Although challenging the mighty is an honour, a 10-0 scoreline is a disgrace for any footballer,' the 35-year-old told mainland Chinese media before the match. 'Privately, we discussed how we could do better, how to give our all against these giants.' His side went 1-0 down to Boca when goalkeeper Nathan Garrow palmed a first-half Lautaro Di Lollo header into his own net. But Christian Gray replied with a header of his own in the second period to claim Auckland a point that had looked unlikely after Bayern had exposed their shortcomings.
RTHK
13 hours ago
- RTHK
Chelsea ease past Tunis to Club World Cup last 16 spot
Chelsea ease past Tunis to Club World Cup last 16 spot Liam Delap scored his first goal for Chelsea in the 3-0 win. Photo: Reuters Liam Delap scored his first Chelsea goal in a 3-0 win over Tunisian champions Esperance which took the Blues through to the last 16 of the Club World Cup. A game played in sweaty conditions at the end of a blisteringly hot day in Philadelphia never really came to life and was decided by two goals scored in first-half stoppage time by Tosin Adarabioyo and then Delap. Tyrique George added the third in injury time at the end of the game and the victory, achieved in front of 32,937 fans at Lincoln Financial Field, allowed Enzo Maresca's side to bounce back from a 3-1 loss to Flamengo last Friday. Chelsea clinched second place in Group D behind the Brazilian giants while Esperance are eliminated. Chelsea will now travel south to Charlotte in North Carolina to face Benfica on Saturday, with the Portuguese club having earlier beaten Bayern Munich to top Group C. That will be a first meeting of the clubs since Chelsea beat Benfica in the 2013 Europa League final, and the winner of that tie will play either Palmeiras or Botafogo of Brazil in the last eight. Chelsea only needed a draw to advance and Maresca felt comfortable enough to make eight changes to his starting line-up following the Flamengo defeat. Delap, Enzo Fernandez and Malo Gusto were the only players to keep their places while Josh Acheampong was among the lesser-seen faces to get a chance. The 19-year-old right-back, making his 10th start in all competitions this season, came close with a shot saved low down by Esperance goalkeeper Bechir Ben Said on 36 minutes. Fernandez then shot wide from the edge of the box as Chelsea controlled the first half without overly troubling the Tunisian defence until the third minute of stoppage time. That was when Fernandez floated a free-kick into the area and Adarabioyo, up from the back, scored with a header into the bottom corner. Esperance needed to win the game and their hopes were as good as over as Chelsea scored again two minutes later. Fernandez, formerly of Benfica, was again the provider as he fed Delap, and the new signing from Ipswich Town controlled with his back to goal, turned and slotted a low shot into the net to get off the mark in his new colours. With temperatures still hovering close to 30 degrees Celsius late into the evening, conditions remained far from easy for the two sides. Both teams made changes, with defender Mamadou Sarr and Brazilian midfielder Andrey Santos getting their first Chelsea minutes since joining from Strasbourg. Chelsea thought they had a penalty 15 minutes from time when the referee pointed to the spot as a Santos shot brushed the hand of Yassine Meriah -- but the award was overturned following a long VAR check. A third goal did finally arrive deep in injury time at the end of the game as George, another substitute, found the net with a shot that the goalkeeper should have kept out. (AFP)
RTHK
18 hours ago
- RTHK
Benfica top Bayern to reach Club World Cup last 16
Benfica top Bayern to reach Club World Cup last 16 Andreas Schjelderup (left) scored the only goal of the match against the German champions. Photo: Reuters Portugal's Benfica beat German champions Bayern Munich 1-0 to book their place in the last 16 of the Club World Cup while finishing top of their group. Bayern, who had never lost to Benfica in a competitive game before, still qualified as Group C runners-up and will face Brazil's Flamengo in the knockout stage. Benfica will face either Chelsea or Esperance from Group D. With Bayern already sure of their place in the knockout stage, their coach Vincent Kompany made seven changes to his starting line-up and it showed in a sloppy first-half display. Only goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, defender Josip Stanisic, left-back Raphael Guerreiro and winger Serge Gnabry were kept from the team which beat Boca in the previous game. Benfica needed a win or a draw to join Bayern in the next round and eliminate Boca Juniors, who were playing Auckland. The Lisbon side began brightly and Neuer was brought into action early to save a Renato Sanches effort from the edge of the box. Benfica grabbed the lead in the 13th minute when Fredrik Aursnes got to the byline and pulled the ball back. Norwegian winger Andreas Schjelderup met it with a first-time effort which he buried into the bottom corner. The game was played in intense heat which had an impact on the tempo of the game, with both teams playing at a slow pace and conserving energy. Bayern had one opportunity before the break when Gnabry pulled the ball back to Leroy Sane, but the former Manchester City winger fired high over the bar. Kompany, who knew his side risked losing top spot in the group, had seen enough from his back-up players and made a triple substitution at the break bringing on Harry Kane, Michael Olise and Joshua Kimmich. Bayern pushed forward in search of a goal that could have sent them back to top of the group but Anatoliy Trubin was out fast to deny Sane and deep in stoppage time Kane mistimed a header from close range. (AFP)
