🥇 Copa Thursday: European revenge, La Bombonera in Miami
The second round of the first phase of the 2025 Club World Cup continued on Friday (20) with four more games.
The matches were valid for groups C and D and guaranteed Flamengo and Bayern Munich in the round of 16, and the eliminations of Los Angeles FC and Auckland City.
Advertisement
You can sign up for DAZN to watch all the FIFA Club World Cup games for free.
Follow some of the topics that "exploded" on the day!
😡 Fight in the Eagles
Benfica thrashed Auckland City 6-0 and got into the fight for a spot in the round of 16.
But the atmosphere heated up a lot on the bench, with coach Bruno Lage raising his finger to a player, who responded, and things got ugly!
🎡 Get on the wheel, gringo
Flamengo beat Chelsea 3-1, guaranteed Brazilian supremacy over European clubs, and also secured a spot in the round of 16 in advance.
On social media, no one let it go. Starting with the official profile of Rubro-Negro, which even remembered the victory over Liverpool in the 1981 World Cup.
🇪🇺 Europe's revenge
Bayern suffered more than they imagined, but beat Boca Juniors 2-1 and also secured a spot in the round of 16 in advance.
Advertisement
The result put an end to the "good phase" of South American teams against European teams, who achieved their first victory in a direct confrontation.
🥳 Miami turned into La Boca
Yes, Boca Juniors lost to Bayern on the field, but in the stands, they put on a show.
Even more so after Merentiel's great goal, which momentarily tied the game.
The Hard Rock Stadium had the entire "aura" of La Bombonera.
There was even a gringo who "couldn't handle" the noise of the xeneize fans and covered his ears!
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.
📸 CHANDAN KHANNA - AFP or licensors
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Times
13 minutes ago
- New York Times
Players prepare to warm up
Benfica put six unanswered goals past Auckland City in a match that was heavily delayed by adverse weather conditions Getty Images Benfica have recorded a vital 6-0 win against Auckland City in their second game at the 2025 Club World Cup. An Angel Di Maria penalty opened the scoring in first-half stoppage time, before the players were forced off the field for an extended period due to adverse weather conditions. After they returned, Vangelis Pavlidis and Renato Sanches added to the advantage before Leandro Barreiro added a quick-fire brace. Late on, Di Maria won — and scored — another penalty to give Benfica a vital goal difference boost. They have moved to the top of Group C on four points before Bayern Munich and Boca Juniors meet at Hard Rock Stadium later, also covered live on The Athletic. GO FURTHER Benfica-Auckland City Club World Cup game endures over two-hour weather delay Connections: Sports Edition Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms The players are in the tunnel and they're heading back out onto the pitch to warm up. Still no resumption in Orlando, but we're moving closer to one. There's been no lightning strikes for nearly 30 minutes which is good news, under any circumstances. 'I've had three coffees since half-time,' the German commentator tells us, with a touch too much excitement. Good news from Florida — the storm in Orlando appears to have passed and we could see a return to play between Benfica and Auckland City. There is still some lightning in the area and despite fans returning to the stands for a period of time, they have now returned to take shelter. We'll bring you more once the players return to the pitch and in the meantime Flamengo vs Chelsea is ongoing and that's also covered live on The Athletic . You can follow coverage of that match here. Getty Images We're no closer to play restarting in Orlando as this weather delay continues. Given the length of time we've been waiting it's wouldn't be a surprise to see the players do a short warm-up to get ready to play the second half. Again, we will bring you any updates when we have them. Otherwise, another Club World Cup match in Flamengo vs Chelsea has kicked off recently, and that's also covered live on The Athletic . You can follow coverage of that match here. It's unfortunate the action hasn't got back underway yet in Orlando. The adverse weather is still preventing the second half from starting, with rain tipping down in the south-east of the United States and the stands empty for safety reasons amid fears of thunderstorms. Again, we will bring you any updates when we have them. Otherwise, another Club World Cup match in Flamengo vs Chelsea kicks off in around half an hour, and that's also covered live on The Athletic . You can follow coverage of that match here. Fans have been asked to vacate their seats and take cover as we wait out this weather delay ahead of the start of the second half. Let's hope they can get the game back underway at some point soon. Getty Images The fans have taken refuge inside the bowels of the stadium. The pitch, and the stands, are empty. The big boards inside the Inter&Co Stadium in Orlando, Florida have just announced that there will be a weather-related delay to the start of the second half. We'll bring you more information as we have it. A great image of that Vangelis Pavlidis chance. Goalkeeper Nathan Garrow clattered into his team-mate as they both aimed to block the Greek striker's shot, which trickled wide of the unguarded net. Bodies on the line! 📷 Well done to Alex Livesey for FIFA via Getty Images for this snap Getty Images 37 years old, countless major trophies won, a disputably meaningful tournament, against some part-timers in Auckland City... Never mind any of that. A goal is a goal, and Angel Di Maria is pumped about it, too. Getty Images And that's the break! What an end to the half — Benfica, after plenty of trying, go in to their half-time team talk a goal to the good. Heartbreak for Auckland at the end of the half but they are not down and out yet. Getty Images 45+6' Benfica 1-0 Auckland City They finally have their breakthrough! As cool as you like, Di Maria rolls the penalty low to the right and Garrow can only slide to the floor having dived the other way and watch it roll in. That was a reckless challenge to concede the penalty and it's a real sucker punch for Auckland. 45+4' Benfica 0-0 Auckland City It was going so well for Auckland! Lagos chops down Prestianni on his way into the box and there's little doubt that that's a spot kick. Angel Di Maria will take... Getty Images That crunching sound you can hear? That'll be the fans of every other team in Portugal, knocking back the popcorn as they watch this. Benfica are already going to get mocked for this first half. If Auckland can somehow hang on for 90 minutes, it's going to be a memepocalypse. Getty Images 45' Benfica 0-0 Auckland City We've got a stoppage as Zhou receives some treatment for a head injury as the fourth official puts up his board to show four minutes added on. We might see more than that given this stoppage but that's the official time for now. Zhou is livid that he's being asked to step off to be assessed for concussion. Getty Images 44' Benfica 0-0 Auckland City ... but it's been ruled out by the referee. Garrow had the ball in his hands but was fouled under pressure from Pavlidis and it popped out to Aursnes who tapped in. But it's been chalked off for that contact — it seems fouling Garrow is the only way Benfica have been able to find a way through. This has been a performance of great courage from Auckland City so far. Their goal has no doubt led a charmed life and goalkeeper Nathan Garrow has made some good saves, but it's been 41 minutes to be really proud of. Getty Images Seriously, how have Benfica not scored yet? Just as they look about to find the opener, forces seem to be conspiring against them to make the ball land the wrong side of the post. A goal is surely inevitable, after which the floodgates may open, but you can see the frustration grow on the faces of the Benfica players as they attempt to break the deadlock (and avoid potential embarrassment). Getty Images 40' Benfica 0-0 Auckland City What a game young Nathan Garrow is having! He palms away a shot from Pavlidis, cutting in from the right wing, and then Angel Di Maria follows up with a low, hard strike and Garrow meets it well down to his left. It's a bit of an onslaught as we reach the end of the half but Garrow is pulling off some great stops.
Yahoo
20 minutes ago
- Yahoo
What next for highly-rated Motherwell teenager Miller?
Lennon Miller could be on the move this summer after another standout campaign [SNS] With the transfer window open, one of the big stories in Scottish football is the future of Motherwell teenager Lennon Miller. The 18-year-old midfielder has just one year left on his Fir Park deal, which means it is the club's final chance to get a significant fee for another successful academy player. Advertisement Miller has turned heads in the last two seasons in particular after initially making his debut six days after his 16th birthday in August 2022. Last term he captained Motherwell several times and had another fine campaign, which culminated in his first Scotland cap and start. His dad Lee, himself a former footballer, joked at an SPFL event marking the release of the new season's fixtures that "there's a different club every day" mentioned online as his son's next move. However, as yet there have been no bids made. But what might the future hold for Scottish football's brightest young talent? Advertisement Why is Miller so coveted? Clearly an 18-year-old who has played 76 first-team games, captained his club, and made his international debut possesses talent which is going to attract attention. Since his debut Miller's close control, passing range, and vision have caught the eye. Clubs across the world are data driven, always looking for young players with positive numbers who can be bought at a relatively low price, developed, and sold on. A look at some of the numbers for central midfielders in the Scottish Premiership last season demonstrates why Miller would appear in lots of databases. Already an adept set-piece taker, Miller grabbed eight assists for Motherwell, a tally only bettered by Rangers' Nicolas Raskin among central midfielders in the league. Advertisement Mostly a deeper-lying midfielder, he was deployed as one of two number 10s in the early part of the campaign for Motherwell, and ranked third among midfielders for chances created by the end of the season, as well as deliveries into the box. As for the dirtier side of the game, only Celtic captain Callum McGregor won the ball back more times than Miller. The teenager was also the most fouled central midfielder in the league, a nod to his ability to use his body to protect the ball in tight spaces, and his dribbling prowess too. His passing accuracy as a whole is further down the charts, which hints at an area for development, but Motherwell's direct style and Miller's tendency to play riskier passes forward could also be behind the lower figure. Advertisement Of course individual statistics are not themselves the basis for signing players. But what has been striking about Miller has been the calmness and confidence with which he has played since his debut. He has often been keen to take responsibility, for example scoring an injury-time penalty against Dundee United to send Motherwell to the semi-finals of the League Cup. Miller was similarly unbothered by his first Scotland start against Liechtenstein, putting in a standout display. "He makes football look easy regardless of what game he plays in," his Motherwell team-mate Tony Watt posted on X after that game. Is a switch abroad Miller's next move? Miller and his dad have always maintained playing regularly is the priority. Advertisement Moving away from these shores might be his best chance to do that, while others also think it would be a good fit for his game. Both Udinese and Union Saint-Gilloise reportedly had bids rejected for Miller in January, and they will unlikely to be the last offers coming in. Talented young Scottish players have increasingly looked to move abroad in recent seasons. Whether it is Aaron Hickey and Lewis Ferguson enhancing their careers while playing at Bologna, or Max Johnston tasting title success and Champions League football after leaving Motherwell for Sturm Graz in Austria, the template is there. Advertisement Others like recent Scotland debutants Josh Doig and Andy Irving have also progressed in their careers through playing regularly abroad, while there is the influence of more senior players Scott McTominay and Billy Gilmour at Napoli. "Lennon's next move is so important, because a lot of players will get sucked into going to just a massive club and going, right, I've arrived," dad Lee said. "But there needs to be a lot of thought process, and there has been a lot of thought process of his next move, because it's a development move again. "This is what we planned out for him, in terms of playing loads of games in the first team, doing really well, and it's on him to do that. Advertisement "There was a pathway there at Motherwell, and the next one, for me, is important because he has to play, he has to develop, he has to then kick on again. "Once he's round about better players, no disrespect to the Motherwell players, but once he's round about top class elite players, he will then kick on again, in my opinion. "And I think he has that inner belief, and it's not arrogance, it's just a belief. And he wants to play football." What about the Premier League? Lots of Scottish teenagers have moved to Premier League academies before even playing a first-team game since Brexit, but Miller has chosen a different path. Advertisement And given his dad's comments about much he relishes playing regularly, a move to the top level in England seems less likely. The only Premier League side linked so far is newly-promoted Sunderland. With the club's owner Kyril Louis-Dreyfus employing a strategy focused on young players, plus the record sale of Jobe Bellingham to Borussia Dortmund, it makes sense they would be interested in Miller. Whether it materialises into an offer remains to be seen. Could Celtic keep Miller in Scotland? The Premiership champions are the only Scottish club talked about when it comes to signing Miller from Motherwell. Advertisement A young Scottish player with lots of potential is exactly the type of signing Celtic would hope to make, especially given the lack of academy players making the first team in the last few years. But with 32-year-old McGregor still the undisputed first pick at the base of Brendan Rodgers' midfield three, it could come down to how much time on the pitch Miller thinks he would get. That, and whether Celtic can, or want to, meet Motherwell's asking price in a potentially competitive market. For Miller's part he has stayed as calm as ever about what the future holds. "I've got a year left on my contract so my focus is to go back into pre-season, work as hard as I can and get ready for the season," he said after his first Scotland start. Advertisement "You get these big clubs mentioned, but it is only speculation. "You just need to try and focus on what you're doing and that will all take care of itself."
Yahoo
25 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Tottenham interested in Lazio's Gustav Isaksen
Premier League giants Tottenham Hotspur are interested in the possibility of signing Lazio's Gustav Isaksen. La Repubblica have reported, as relayed by LazioPress, that the Dane can leave the Stadio Olimpico this summer and there could be an opportunity for him to reunite with his girlfriend Olivia Holdt in London. Advertisement That is because she plays for the Tottenham Women's team and Isaksen is attracting interest from Spurs. New manager Thomas Frank is keen on signing the right-winger and was actually interested in bringing him to Brentford last summer. Tottenham could make an offer for Isaksen in the next few days, with Lazio keen on making sure that they earn around €30m from the sale. The Roman club are monitoring Parma's Dennis Man as a replacement, with the winger having recently changed his agents and that has caught attention. He could be a like-for-like replacement for Isaksen, who impressed under Marco Baroni last season. Kaustubh Pandey I GIFN
