Four goals, three red cards as Benfica draw with Boca Juniors
Nicolas Otamendi headed in the equalizer in the 84th minute to deliver SL Benfica a 2-2 draw against Boca Juniors in a Club World Cup match that featured three red cards Monday in Miami Gardens, Fla.
Otamendi's goal, a direct strike off Orkun Kokcu's corner kick, came when each side was down a man. Boca Juniors, who squandered a 2-0 lead, finished the match with nine men after Jorge Figal's red card in the 88th.
Benfica and Boca, representing Portugal and Argentina, respectively, earned one point apiece to begin Group C play. Bayern Munich previously opened Group C with a 10-0 thrashing of Auckland City.
The scoring began in the 21st minute when Boca's Lautaro Blanco nutmegged his defender and sent in a cross for Miguel Merentiel, who tapped the ball to the far corner past Benfica goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin.
Rodrigo Battaglia doubled the advantage in the 27th. Kevin Zenon took a corner kick and Ayrton Costa headed a pass right to Battaglia for a close-range header goal.
Benfica got on the board during first-half stoppage time when Carlos Palacios' contact with Otamendi was deemed a foul after VAR. Boca's Ander Herrera, who subbed out in the 20th minute due to injury, drew a red card for arguing the call from the bench.
Angel Di Maria fired his shot from the spot into the bottom-left corner as Agustin Marchesin dove the wrong way.
Andrea Belotti was shown red for Benfica in the 72nd minute as he kicked Costa in the head when going up for a ball.
Field Level Media
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
34 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Real Madrid the Club World Cup favourite: Sergio Ramos
Veteran Monterrey defender Sergio Ramos said on Monday his former team, Real Madrid, must be considered favourite to win the Club World Cup. Paris Saint-Germain recently won the UEFA Champions League by thrashing Inter Milan in the final, with Liga MX side Monterrey set to face the Italians in its opener on Tuesday at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. However Ramos, now 39, believes his former club, Spanish giant Madrid, is the real team to beat. 'Real Madrid are always favourites in the big competitions,' Ramos told reporters ahead of the Group E clash against Inter. 'Real Madrid are the best in the world, for the level the club and players have, for the mentality that's been sewn in there for so many years.' Madrid has a new coach in Xabi Alonso as well as recent arrivals Trent Alexander-Arnold and Dean Huijsen. READ: FIFA Club World Cup: Boca Juniors turns up the heat in Miami with Benfica draw 'Xabi's arrival will be interesting. He won it all as a player, and he knows how the club works,' said Ramos. 'That could help him a lot in this new era.' Ramos said Madrid's failure to win a major trophy this season was not down to last summer's marquee signing Kylian Mbappe, whom he played with at PSG. 'In the next five or 10 years, I'd wager that Kylian will take four or five Ballon d'Or awards home,' said Ramos. The former Real Madrid captain departed in 2021 and said he would prefer not to face his former side in the United States. 'Facing off against your old teammates is always nice but if we won't meet that would be a lot better -- and both them and us can avoid that discomfort,' he added. Madrid opens its campaign in Miami on Wednesday against Saudi Arabian side Al Hilal.
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
FIFA Club World Cup 2025: Chelsea triumph over Los Angeles FC amid sparse attendance; Boca Juniors, Benfica play out draw
Chelsea players celebrate after scoring against Los Angeles FC in the FIFA Club World Cup. (Reuters) Chelsea secured a 2-0 victory against Los Angeles FC in their Club World Cup Group D opener on Monday in Atlanta, with goals from Pedro Neto and Enzo Fernandez, while new signing Liam Delap made his debut as a substitute in front of a sparse crowd of 22,000 at the 71,000-capacity Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The match marked Chelsea's first step in their campaign following their UEFA Conference League triumph and Champions League qualification. Chelsea coach Enzo Maresca praised the team's performance and Delap's contribution. "The good thing about Liam is he knows the way we want to play, so the process is quite quick," said the Italian. "The environment was a bit strange, the stadium was almost empty, not full," Maresca told reporters. The 3:00 pm local time kick-off on a Monday affected attendance significantly, despite the stadium's closed roof providing shelter from Georgia's summer heat. A small group of LAFC supporters, numbering in the hundreds, maintained atmosphere with drums and songs behind Hugo Lloris' goal. LAFC entered the competition after beating Club America in a May play-off, replacing the banned Mexican side Club Leon. The low attendance, with the top ring completely closed and other levels partially filled despite reduced ticket prices, marked the first significant challenge for FIFA's expanded competition. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Memperdagangkan CFD Emas dengan salah satu spread terendah? IC Markets Mendaftar Undo The tournament serves as a trial run for the 2026 World Cup, which will be hosted jointly by the US, Canada, and Mexico. Chelsea dominated the early proceedings, with Lloris saving attempts from Nicolas Jackson and Noni Madueke, while Cole Palmer's shot went just over. Jackson, competing for his starting position with new arrival Delap watching from the bench, played a crucial role in the opening goal. The striker provided an excellent through ball to Neto, who skilfully manoeuvred past LA defender Ryan Hollingshead before scoring with a powerful near-post shot. Former Chelsea striker Olivier Giroud's introduction at halftime helped improve LAFC's performance in the second half. Chelsea faced pressure as goalkeeper Sanchez made a crucial save against Denis Bouanga, the 2023 MLS golden boot winner, after he broke free from Neto's marking. Delap made his Chelsea debut after the hour mark, immediately showing promise by attempting to set up Fernandez. The match concluded with Fernandez scoring Chelsea's second goal, controlling Delap's cross from the right and beating Lloris in the six-yard box. LA coach Cherundolo addressed the attendance concerns with measured response. "Regarding crowds I think it's kind of different each game you look at so I don't think we should be talking about this right now," said Cherundolo. "I think we should wait until the end of the tournament...(to make) an opinion about it as a whole, as opposed to one game." Boca Juniors denied by Benfica 's Argentines Benfica secured a dramatic 2-2 draw against Boca Juniors in a Club World Cup Group C match at Miami Gardens, with Argentine internationals Angel Di Maria and Nicolas Otamendi scoring for the Portuguese side. Despite being reduced to 10 men, Benfica fought back from a 2-0 deficit to deny Boca Juniors victory in what was essentially a home game for the Argentine club. Boca Juniors had established a commanding lead through goals from Miguel Merentiel and Rodrigo Battaglia. The atmosphere was electric with 55,574 spectators, predominantly Boca supporters, filling the Hard Rock Stadium. Thousands of Boca fans had gathered on Miami Beach over the weekend for a traditional 'banderazo', creating a festive atmosphere with singing and flag-waving in the heat. The match began with intense pressure from Boca Juniors, showcasing their determination to prove themselves against European competition. The first significant reaction from the crowd came when Di Maria received a tough challenge from behind. Lautaro Blanco's skillful play led to the opening goal in the 21st minute. He beat Benfica's Florentino with a nutmeg before delivering a low cross that Merentiel cleverly converted. Boca doubled their lead six minutes later when Battaglia headed home from close range, connecting with Ayrton Costa's header from Kevin Zenon's corner. Benfica got back into the game through a VAR-awarded penalty, which included a red card for the already substituted Boca midfielder Ander Herrera for protesting. Di Maria converted the spot-kick just before halftime. The match took another turn when Benfica's Andrea Belotti received a red card in the 71st minute for a dangerous high kick to Ayrton Costa's head. Despite being a man down, Benfica found an equaliser in the 84th minute through Otamendi, who headed in Orkun Kokcu's corner kick. The match ended with Boca's Nicolas Figal receiving a red card for a dangerous challenge on Florentino. "We're left with a bitter taste because we thought we could have won it. We gave our all, we competed, we ran... we played the way we needed to, but we're left with a bitter taste because we didn't know how to take advantage of having an extra man, and they scored from a set piece," said Boca defender Rodrigo Battaglia. "We tried to win it. We know what Argentinian football is. We knew how we had to play, but in the first half we didn't play that way. We needed a bit more. In the second half we played much better. We tried to win the game at the end, but we couldn't quite do it," said Di Maria. Bayern Munich and Auckland FC are the other teams in Group C of the Club World Cup. FIFA Club World Cup Results: Group C: Boca Juniors 2-2 Benfica (Merentiel 21', Battaglia 27'; Di Maria 45+3' pen, Otamendi 84') Group D: Chelsea 2-0 Los Angeles FC (Neto 34', Fernandez 79') Group D: Flamengo 2-0 Esperance (De Arrascaeta 17', Luiz Araujo 70')
The Hindu
an hour ago
- The Hindu
FIFA Club World Cup: Boca Juniors turns up the heat in Miami with Benfica draw
After Lionel Messi lit up the Club World Cup opener, Miami's Hard Rock Stadium was awash in Argentine passion again as Boca Juniors fans turned it into a little Buenos Aires for their team's 2-2 draw with Benfica on Monday. A day after draping the shores of Miami Beach in blue and gold on the eve of their team's debut, the Boca fans chanted their way into the arena and through the game, which put the side in second place in Group C behind Bayern Munich after the German champion demolished Auckland City 10-0 on Sunday. Both teams finished with 10 men after Benfica's Andrea Bellotti and Boca's Nicolas Figal picked up straight red cards in a heated contest that saw the Portuguese team cancel out a two-goal deficit. Boca next faces Bayern on Friday in Miami, while Benfica will face Auckland City in Orlando. After a scrappy opening 20 minutes, the stands trembled when Boca went ahead in the 21st as Lautaro Blanco's low cross was met by Miguel Merentiel, triggering wild celebrations. READ: FIFA Club World Cup: Neto, Fernández score to lead Chelsea 2-0 over LAFC Six minutes later, the Argentine side doubled the tally with a Rodrigo Battaglia header, stunning Benfica, which had been dominating from the onset. Nicolas Otamendi was then brought down in the box, and Benfica earned a penalty following a VAR review, and Ángel Di María coolly sent the goalkeeper the wrong way to cut the goal deficit down to one at the stroke of half-time. Benfica was down to 10 in the 70th after Bellotti was shown a straight red card for a high kick in the back of the head of Ayrton Costa. The Portuguese side, however, levelled six minutes from time when Otamendi found the back of the net with a powerful header. The result kept the six-time Copa Libertadores champion's hopes alive to advance into the knockout phase, which would be a boost for the tournament, as South American fans are expected to bring the highest amount of passion into the stadiums.
