The Briefing: How did players cope with heat? Has Kompany got a Musiala deputy?

New York Times

5 hours ago

Follow reaction after Bayern Munich were handed their first defeat of the tournament and dropped into second in Group C Getty Images
Benfica have finished top of Group C at the Club World Cup after beating Bayern Munich 1-0 in Charlotte.
The German champions have had to settle for second place in the group after Andreas Schjelderup scored the game's only goal in the 13th minute. Bayern pushed for an equaliser in a much-improved second half but Benfica stood firm defensively, with goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin making a string of big saves.
In the other game, Auckland City stunned Boca Juniors with a 1-1 draw to pick up their first point of the tournament. Connections: Sports Edition Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms
Benfica sealed their place in the Club World Cup knockouts and topped Group C with a 1-0 win over Bayern Munich, who finished as runners-up.
The heat in Charlotte was intense, around the 40C (104F) mark, as it has been in many early kick-offs through the tournament.
Both teams go through to the knockouts and will find out their opponents when Group D finishes later today.
Below, The Athletic 's Seb Stafford-Bloor and Mark Carey break down the action from Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte.
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Benfica 1 Bayern Munich 0 – How did players cope with heat? Has Kompany got a Musiala deputy? Getty Images
That's it!
Benfica win and top Group C ahead of Bayern after beating the German side!
What effect that has on the knockout stages, we'll find out later today... Getty Images
90+9' Benfica 1-0 Bayern Munich
Great chance for Harry Kane from Olise's corner but the ball hits his shoulder and skips wide!
Benfica got a (soft) free kick anyway before a slight push from Kane on Otamendi.
And...
90+8' Benfica 1-0 Bayern Munich
Good from Benfica subs Gouveia and Bajrami.
Gouveia, on the right touchline, holds the ball up really well and wins the throw from Thomas Muller after tricking past the veteran.
Then Bajrami slides in to put a cross behind for a corner. Getty Images
90+7' Benfica 1-0 Bayern Munich
...but they're somehow still hanging on.
5-4-1 formation, almost everyone behind the ball, they're super deep and narrow, clinging on to their narrow lead.
Bayern desperately trying to make something happen but running out of time.
A minute or so left!
Progress in the game over in Nashville — we have a restart time of ten minutes' time.
The game was suspended with the score locked at 1-1 between Boca Juniors and Auckland City due to inclement weather.
The players are going to have a bit of a warm up before resuming play, though with the Bayern Munich-Benfica game very nearly finished and Boca heading out, there hardly seems much point in playing on now.
90+4' Benfica 1-0 Bayern Munich
Fine cross Olise, Muller poised, Aursnes behind. Corner.
90+2' Benfica 1-0 Bayern Munich
Trubin, so good today, plucks Guerreiro's high cross out of the sky.
Man of the match so far.
Can he hang on to the clean sheet he so deserves? Getty Images
90+1' Benfica 1-0 Bayern Munich
Eight minutes of added time.
Lots of injuries, lots of subs, lots of time for Bayern still to get an equaliser. Getty Images
90' Benfica 1-0 Bayern Munich
Hilarious from sub Tiago Gouveia.
First it's brilliant 'elastico'/flip-flop skill, lovely footwork, to escape a Bayern defender.
He carries the ball a fair way, and out of puff, tries to knock it past Stanisic too, but the Croatian gets his body in the way.
Gouveia puts hands on Stanisic, who goes down. Soft, but a foul. Then Gouveia absolutely wellies the ball away.
Clearest yellow you'll ever see. Getty Images
88' Benfica 1-0 Bayern Munich
WOW! Anatoliy Trubin saves from Leroy Sane with a one on one again!
Brilliant play from Harry Kane, who controls with one touch, turns with another, and plays an absolutely sumptuous through ball with his third.
Sane clean through, he tries to chip Trubin but the Ukrainian flings a left arm out to block it! Getty Images
87' Benfica 1-0 Bayern Munich
Benfica's Angel Di Maria and Vangelis Pavlidis have emptied the tank and walk off for Joao Rego and Tiago Gouveia. Getty Images
86' Benfica 1-0 Bayern Munich
Harry Kane inside the box... Nicolas Otamendi is calm and patient (unlike him!) as he slowly and gradually forces the England captain wide and then back.
Kane has played in six matches against Otamendi in his career... and not scored. Yet.
Then Sane gets a shot inside the box but lashes it over.
84' Benfica 1-0 Bayern Munich
Antonio Silva has been really impressive for Benfica.
Konrad Laimer swings in a cross from the right, Harry Kane is poised to nod it home, only for Antonio Silva to get his head in the way and divert it out for a corner.
Brilliant timing.
82' Benfica 1-0 Bayern Munich
Haha, Orkun Kokcu picks up the ball, sees Manuel Neuer off his line, and slams forward an extremely ambitious shot from miles and miles out.
It dribbles through to Neuer.
81' Benfica 1-0 Bayern Munich
Harry Kane is frustrated after being scythed down, and the referee sprints in to squash any potential handbags.
Then Benfica subs on the sidelines are up in arms as Tah outmuscles Pavlidis, before Olise is clattered from behind.
Both teams getting a bit tetchy. Getty Images
Apart from the dangers of the weather — both storms and sweltering temperatures alike — for fans and players, the weather breaks pose a different challenge for FIFA ahead of next year's World Cup.
The whole point of the final games of a group kicking off at the same time is so the teams do not know what is happening in the other fixture.
It adds jeopardy should multiple teams be chasing a place in the knockouts, but also stops teams from sitting back to get mutually beneficial results.
A lengthy weather delay in games disrupts that.
78' Benfica 1-0 Bayern Munich
To be fair to Renato Sanches, he has succumbed to the heat and goes off.
Defender Adrian Bajrami onto the pitch in his place.
I think that makes it a back five with wing-backs. Getty Images
77' Benfica 1-0 Bayern Munich
A brief pause in play as Renato Sanches receives some medical treatment on the pitch.
Bayern aren't happy, feeling he is time-wasting.