Wild scenes at the Club World Cup: Bad kicks, red cards and lots of goals

Argentinian top football club Boca Juniors squandered a two-goal lead against Benfica in their opening match of the Club World Cup. Several players lost their nerve both on and off the pitch.

June 17, 2025

From: dpa/apa

Last night (CEST) in Miami, the 35-time champions from Argentina conceded a second goal late in the game against the Portuguese, despite being in the majority, and had to settle for a 2-2 draw.

Benfica striker Andrea Belotti was shown the red card after a VAR intervention (70th minute). Nicolás Otamendi nevertheless equalized in the 84th minute. Shortly afterward, Boca were also down to ten men: Nicolas Figal was forced off after a brutal kick (88th minute) and will be suspended for the next match against FC Bayern Munich. The draw between the rivals means the German record champions can already secure their place in the round of XNUMX in their second group match on Saturday night.

Earlier, Miguel Merentiel (21') and Rodrigo Battaglia (27') had given Boca Juniors a 55.574-2 lead in front of 0 fans at the Hard Rock Stadium. Angel Di Maria – like Otamendi, a World Cup winner with Argentina – scored a controversial penalty to bring Benfica level before halftime (45'+3'). VAR also played a key role in this decision. Boca player Ander Herrera, who had already been substituted, complained so loudly that he was sent to the bench and was also banned from the game against Bayern.

Flamengo starts successfully

After Botafogo, Flamengo is the second Brazilian representative to have a successful start to the Club World Cup. The top club from Rio de Janeiro lived up to its favorite status in a clash with Esperance Tunis on Monday, winning 2-0 in Philadelphia. The same result followed hours earlier on when English club Chelsea beat Los Angeles FC. The two winners are now tied at the top of the table after the first round of Group D.

Schlagwörter: Soccer Club World Cup Boca Juniors, Benfica Lisbon