Red-hot Gray on target as Auckland City earn tough draw

Yahoo

7 hours ago

Christian Gray scored Auckland City's first goal of the Club World Cup before a 50-minute suspension caused by lightning in the area, as the amateur New Zealand team drew 1-1 against Boca Juniors.
The result of the match in Nashville, Tennessee, on Tuesday (Wednesday AEST) means the Argentine club was eliminated.
On a humid day with a game-time temperature of 34C, the crowd of 16,899 at 30,109-capacity Geodis Park was forced to wait when play was suspended in the 54th minute, the fifth weather delay of the tournament's group stage.
Boca went ahead in the 26th minute when Lautaro Di Lollo's header from a corner kick hit a post and bounced in off goalkeeper Nathan Garrow's arm for an own goal.
Gray tied the score in the 52nd minute for the already-eliminated Auckland with a header from Jerson Lagos's corner kick, before the match was suspended in the 54th minute.
Christian Gray with the header that solidified a historical match for @AucklandCity_FC! #SuperiorPlayerofTheMatch#SuperiorisWorthPlayingFor#FIFACWC@MichelobULTRA | @playformichelob pic.twitter.com/Fhn3UEd8jp
— FIFA Club World Cup (@FIFACWC) June 24, 2025
The start of Ulsan's June 17 match against Mamelodi Sundowns in Orlando, Florida, was delayed 65 minutes by thunderstorms, and the Salzburg-Pachuca game in Cincinnati the next day was stopped in the 54th minute for a 97-minute delay caused by a thunderstorm.
A June 19 match between Palmeiras and Al Ahly in East Rutherford, New Jersey, was stopped for 50 minutes in the 62nd minute because of weather, and Auckland's game against Benfica in Orlando on Friday was suspended for more than two hours during halftime.
Benfica finished first in Group C, with Bayern Munich second. Boca Juniors were third with two points and Auckland, outscored 17-1 in the tournament, had one point.
"I'm just happy,'' Gray said.
"It's been a tough trip. We've had some tough results, but I'm just happy for the team and the boys. I think we deserve it. We got a little bit of respect back, I hope."
Meanwhile, Andreas Schjelderup's 13th-minute goal gave Benfica a 1-0 victory over Bayern Munich in scorching heat, sending the Portuguese club to the top of Group C.
The 1-0 loss in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Tuesday (Wednesday AEST) was physically demanding for everyone in the venue.
Players and spectators were tested by the conditions, with the temperature hitting 36C during the game.
Benfica winger Gianluca Prestianni was attended by the medical staff in the 25th minute because of heat-related issues and was replaced in the 55th minute.
Schjelderup ran on to a cross from Fredrik Aursnes and scored with a right-footed shot from near the penalty spot.
Bayern's Joshua Kimmich put the ball in the net in the 61st minute, but the goal was disallowed because Harry Kane was in an offside position in the line of sight of goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin.
Bayern lost their first match of the tournament as they struggled to find a rhythm ahead of the knockout stages later this week, despite a late attacking effort, including a disallowed goal.