Boca Juniors fans rock Hard Rock Stadium during 2-2 Club World Cup tie vs. Benfica

Miami Herald

4 hours ago

Beachgoers enjoying a relaxing Father's Day at Collins Ave. and 80th Street on Sunday got a taste of the passion for soccer in Argentina when more than a thousand singing, drum-banging Boca Juniors fans took over North Shore Park for a massive 'Banderazo' (pep rally) ahead of Monday's Club World Cup match against Portuguese club Benfica.
That was just an appetizer for the party that was to follow Monday at Hard Rock Stadium, which literally rocked, as Boca fans, who made up roughly 90 percent of the crowd of 55,574, sang and bounced from the start to the finish of the entertaining game, which ended in a 2-2 tie.
Ten-man Benfica rallied from two goals down to come away with a draw in the Group C match. Bayern Munich leads the group with three points, Boca and Benfica are tied with a point apiece and New Zealand semi-pro team Auckland City is in fourth after a 10-0 loss to Bayern.
If you closed your eyes Monday, you would have sworn you were at 'La Bombonera' (Boca Juniors' iconic home stadium in Buenos Aires, affectionately known as the Chocolate Box). Among the Argentina natives in the crowd was Inter Miami coach Javier Mascherano.
A sea of royal blue and gold, and makeshift parties and barbeques, follow Argentina's storied club wherever it goes. They took over a Walmart store in Miami Beach over the weekend. And there were countless social media posts of Boca fans chanting from high-rise balconies up and down the Miami coast.
Deafening chants of 'Dale, Dale, Dale, Bo!' could be heard from throngs of fans around the stadium grounds hours before the game kicked off, and they got even louder after each Boca goal.
The first came at the 21-minute mark when Lautaro Blanco crossed the ball to Miguel Merentiel, who right footed an angled shot from the left side of the six-yard box. Merential was named Man of the Match.
Boca doubled its lead six minutes later on a header by Rodrigo Battaglia, who was waiting at the back post to nod in Ayrton Costa's header across the box after a corner kick.
In an interesting twist, it was Argentine players who scored both goals for Benfica.
Angel Di Maria, a longtime teammate of Lionel Messi's on the Argentine national team, scored Benfica's first goal on a penalty kick just before halftime after a questionable Boca foul on Benfica's Argentine captain Nicolas Otamendi. Di Maria raised his right hand toward the crowd afterward, as if apologizing to the Boca Juniors faithful.
Di Maria, 37, is leaving Benfica after this tournament and heading home to finish his career with his boyhood club Rosario Central.
Then, in the 84th minute, came the bigger heartbreaker for Boca's fans.
Benfica was down to 10 men after the expulsion of Andrea Belotti for a dangerous high kick, and it appeared Boca was headed to victory.
But then Otamandi scored the equalizer on a powerful header from the center of the box to the bottom right corner. There was no apology, just celebration from the defender and his teammates.
Boca wound up with 10 men, as well, when former Inter Miami center back Nico Figal was issued a red card in the 88th minute for plowing into Florentino Luis.
'It's a strange feeling because we knew what we were facing, we exceeded expectations, we went ahead twice, had a great team, and thought we could have won,' Merential said, adding that he did not think the foul that led to Di Maria's goal was worthy of a penalty kick.
Benfica coach Bruno Lage spoke of the 'fantastic' atmosphere at the game but lamented that his team had to settle for a draw.
'We were the better team, we started well, it's still difficult to accept, but in the end, we get one point and missed an opportunity to win,' Lage said. 'But our team never gives up. They believe until the end.'
This is the first big tournament for Boca Juniors under coach Miguel Angel Russo since he returned for his third stint in charge of the club after it parted ways with Fernando Gago.
The veteran coach summed up the game: 'There were a lot of good things in the game, and other things we need to improve. It was a very strong opponent. We knew that going in. Ending the first half 2-0 is not the same as 2-1, so we had to just keep going forward…I thought the foul was debatable, but I won't complain about the referee because we have to overcome those situations.'
The Argentine team's fans are known as 'Xeneizes', a nickname that dates to 1905, when the club was founded by six men of Italian heritage from the town of Genoa who had emigrated to the Boca neighborhood of Buenos Aires. Geneo, in local dialect, was known as 'Zena' and thus, locals were known as 'Xeneizes.'
They are among the most passionate fan bases in South America, and when they sing 'Boca es la alegría de mi corazón' (Boca is the happiness in my heart), they mean it.
Boca, coming off a successful 2025 Apertura season, was determined to upset a European team with a rich history.
The Argentine team had made one appearance in the Club World Cup in its old format, in 2007, and lost 4-2 in the final to AC Milan.
Boca will next face Bayern Munich on Friday at Hard Rock Stadium and Benfica plays Auckland City in Orlando.
Hard Rock Café to open at La Bombonera
Officials from Boca Juniors and Hard Rock executives announced Monday that a Hard Rock Café will open in 2026 at La Bombonera, one of the most iconic stadiums in the world.
President of Hard Rock Cafe and Retail Eric Martino said: 'We've been bringing people together since 1995 in Argentina with six Hard Rock Cafe locations and two new ones to open before year end; we are thrilled to bring our unique brand of world-class cuisine and entertainment to La Bombonera.'
Juan Roman Riquelme, president of Boca Juniors, added: 'Over its 120-year history, the passion of its fans has become a defining trait and a phenomenon admired by football supporters around the globe. La Bombonera is its legendary stadium and a true temple of world football and as such we are proud to welcome Hard Rock Cafe to be part of its legacy.'