Auckland City 1 Boca Juniors 1 – Amateurs humble Boca with surprise draw to ‘get respect back'

New York Times

24-06-2025

Amateur team Auckland City ended their Club World Cup in remarkable fashion by scoring their first goal and earning their first point with a surprise draw against Boca Juniors, who were also eliminated from the competition.
Auckland were beaten 10-0 by Bayern Munich in their opening game leading to questions about whether their presence was warranted at a competition billed as 'the best v the best' by FIFA.
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They then lost 6-0 to Benfica, meaning Boca needed to overturn a seven-goal and three-point deficit to Benfica to reach the knockout stages. But by the time the second-half resumed after a weather break, the Portuguese team had already beaten Bayern in Charlotte, making Boca's progress impossible.
Boca had gone 1-0 up in the first half but Christian Gray, a teacher in training who said his 'assignments are piling up' back home, equalised with a header from a corner and said he hoped the result will help Auckland 'get respect back' after a 'tough trip'.
Here The Athletic's Jeff Rueter and Jordan Halford break down the action
As part of semi-professional Auckland City, most players are bound to find alternative vocations to supplement their playing. For Gray, that means being a teacher in training. On Tuesday, Gray and fellow centre backs Nikko Boxall and Adam Mitchell spent much of their group C finale clearing crosses away from Boca's intended targets.
At last, on a 52nd minute corner kick, Gray was given a chance to be a bit more proactive than reactive — and he certainly aced this test.
52′ AUCKLAND CITY SCORE THEIR FIRST GOAL OF THE FIFA CLUB WORLD CUP!!! 🇳🇿
Watch the @FIFACWC | June 14 – July 13 | Every Game | Free | https://t.co/i0K4eUtwwb | #FIFACWC #TakeItToTheWorld #AKLBOC pic.twitter.com/a9AHuYcJzR
— DAZN Football (@DAZNFootball) June 24, 2025
The story of Auckland City's time in the Club World Cup was largely told in the context of mismatches. Of the 32 teams in the contest, the club from New Zealand were the only side to qualify without full professional status. They qualified for the Club World Cup by lifting the OFC Champions League 12 times in the past 15 seasons. It's a wholly deserved accomplishment for them to make this field.
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However, as their opening games illustrated — in a 10-0 defeat against Bayern Münich and a 6-0 defeat against Benfica — there's an understandable competitive imbalance between Auckland and the rest of Group C.
Then again, form and 'on-paper' quality go out the door when a team sets up a set piece during a tournament. Set pieces are viewed as the almighty leveller between heavyweights and underdogs alike. Dead ball situations are now often meticulously curated, a variable for which coaches (and specialised assistant coaches) will solve with painstaking detail. The equation largely relies on clever movement, creating narrow advantages and exploiting any mistake made by an opponent.
For a team that has been on the wrong side of mismatches in quality throughout the group stage, it was bound to be a set piece that could bring them a goal. Gray was able to weave in front of Rodrigo Battaglia, a 33-year-old defender whose past employers include Mallorca, Sporting CP and Braga. Having already used his head to make five defensive clearances, the center back was plenty warmed up to make the most of this prodding nod.
Minutes later, the game was suspended due to a lightning strike near Geodis Park. Boca fans may have felt this was a damning sign of the end times, or perhaps something even worse: that their well-supported run had been abruptly ended.
Jeff Rueter
Mere minutes after Auckland City bagged their leveller, lightning forced the game into suspension. For over 40 minutes, Boca and Auckland waited in their dressing rooms as Bayern and Benfica determined Boca's tournament status 420 miles away in Charlotte. By the time Boca's match could resume, it was already determined that they were eliminated, as the European pair had secured their places in the round of 16.
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This wasn't the first time a pair of teams ended up playing what ultimately became a stakes-free group finale. Unlike Monday night's 4-4 free-for-all between Al Ahly and Porto, the weather delay left Group C's games (which had kicked off concurrently) so staggered that the resumption of play was rendered entirely pointless in terms of the standings.
It was an incredibly disjointed end to the match, with its lack of flow not helped by the tremendous heat (98F, 36.6C) which necessitated another water break 20 minutes after play resumed. Boca began to rotate out its key players, especially Cavani. They continued to shoot whenever they saw daylight, taking a remarkable 37 attempts with just eight landing on-target.
Auckland didn't seem to have much left in the tank either after defending valiantly throughout. The New Zealand side were all too happy to protect the 1-1 scoreline and claim an unexpected point, with Boca's only goal being deemed an own goal.
Mercifully, nearly three hours after the initial kickoff, Auckland found its just desserts. A team of amateurs held their resolve and played mighty Boca to a draw. It was a result — and accompanying story — that was well worth their patience, both tactically and waiting in the dressing room.
Jeff Rueter
Auckland's resistance was proving stubborn in Nashville, much like the first half against Benfica, where it took an Angel Di Maria penalty in stoppage time to open the scoring. Boca were keeping to their end of the bargain, but they were getting the sense it was going to be one of those days in the Tennessee heat.
Carlos Palacios was unfortunate to double their lead in the 42nd minute after his vicious, curling effort from range struck the upright. It bounced back off the post into Kyle Garrow, but this time luck was on his side as the Auckland goalkeeper gleefully gathered in the six-yard box. And the woodwork was still shaking just 50 seconds later, as Merentiel's header rattled the crossbar moments after with the 29-year-old cutting a frustrating figure in front of his own supporters.
Jordan Halford
Amid controversy over ticket prices and low attendances at the Club World Cup, lack of support can never be levelled at the Xeneize. Boca fans travelled in their thousands from Buenos Aires for all three of their fixtures and their famous Azul y Oro colours once again adorned one end of Geodis Park.
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From El Banderazo on Miami Beach to the scenes when Merentiel scored against Bayern in the Hard Rock Stadium, Boca Juniors may not have the best football team on the planet but you would be hard pressed to find better supporters the world over.
Boca captain Merentiel claimed after the defeat to Bayern you would find a Boca Juniors fan on the moon, and for all the criticism of Gianni Infantino's newly-fangled tournament, seeing the passion of the South American supporters has brought much-needed fervour to the competition.
It is a shame that the team of La Doce, as they are affectionately known, will be going back to Buenos Aires after just three games. Whether the fans stay behind remains to be seen.
Jordan Halford