
Monday at the Club World Cup had it all — drama, dominance and a foul-filled draw in Miami.
Benfica and Boca Juniors delivered the best match of the tourney so far with Benfica rallying to salvage a draw in a feisty match in Miami. Chelsea handled LAFC with ease in Atlanta, and Flamengo took care of business against Esperance in Philly.
Monday’s Club World Cup results
Chelsea 2-0 LAFC
Chelsea opened its Club World Cup campaign with a dominant win over their MLS counterparts, LAFC. The West London club had the game by the collar from kickoff and was on the doorstep of goalscoring from the get-go. The Blues controlled most of the possession, while eliminating any threat from LAFC’s attack. In the 34th minute, Pedro Neto silenced the traveling LAFC fans by opening the scoring, using a Cruyff-like turn to send Ryan Hollingshead sliding past him before slotting the ball through Hugo Lloris’ goal.
Advertisement
The second half saw LAFC threatening to tie the game on several occasions as Chelsea were momentarily placed on their heels. But the MLS club’s hopes of equalizing were put to bed in the 79th minute when Chelsea substitute Enzo Fernandez added another goal with a clinical finish in front of Lloris.
Chelsea dominated the game, controlling 64.5% of possession and outshooting LAFC with seven of their 17 attempts hitting the target. LAFC had seven attempts, with four being on-frame.
Boca Juniors 2-2 Benfica
Argentina’s Boca Juniors and Portugal’s Benfica played to a 2-2 draw in a spicy Group C clash at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. The match was defined as much by its physicality as its goals. Backed by a heavily pro-Boca crowd of 55,574, the Argentine side struck twice in the first half through Miguel Merentiel and Rodrigo Battaglia. Benfica responded just before the break when Ángel Di María converted a penalty following a VAR-reviewed foul on Nicolás Otamendi. Otamendi would equalize in the 84th minute with a trademark header, salvaging a point for As Águias.
The match featured 22 fouls, four yellow cards and three red cards — including a halftime dismissal for Boca’s Ander Herrera after protesting the penalty decision. Benfica’s Andrea Bellotti was sent off in the 70th minute for a high challenge, while Boca’s Nicolás Figal was issued a straight red for a reckless tackle that dropped Benfica’s Florentino Luis by the midsection.
Advertisement
The result leaves Boca in second place in the group behind Bayern Munich, with a clash against the German giants set for Friday. Benfica, meanwhile, will look to regroup against lowly Auckland City.
Flamengo 2-0 Esperance de Tunis
The final match of the day featured Brazilian side Flamengo taking on Tunisia’s Esperance in front of a decently sized crowd at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. Coming of a domestic treble, Esperance put up a good fight and mostly held their own defensively, but it just wasn’t enough against the current Serie A leaders. In the 17th minute, it was Giorgian de Arrascaeta who deliver the opening goal with a crisp shot from close range off a Luiz Araújo dime.
Then in the second half, Araújo fired a laser from the edge of the box into the bottom left corner of the goal past Bechir Ben Said to double Flamengo’s lead. Esperance’s defense had mostly held up up until that point, but on the other side of the field its frontline lacked the creativity to break through.
Advertisement
The win gives Flamengo a solid platform with three points in Group D along with Chelsea.
Highlight of the day
If the Club World Cup’s lasting contribution to the world’s game is the ref cam, we’re here for it. Pedro Neto’s first-half goal against LAFC was captured in its entirety by the referee’s chest-mounted camera as Neto cut inside and sent the ball flying past Hugo Lloris.
Club World Cup schedule for Tuesday, June 17
Watch the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup for free on DAZN. Additionally, select FIFA Club World Cup games will air across TNT, TBS and TruTV.
Group F: Fluminense FC vs. Borussia Dortmund at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford; 12 p.m. ET on TNT, truTV, DAZN
Advertisement
Group E: River Plate vs. Urawa Red Diamonds at Lumen Field in Seattle; 3 p.m. ET on DAZN
Group F: Ulsan Hyundai vs. Mamelodi Sundowns FC at Inter&Co Stadium in Orlando, Florida; 6 p.m. ET on DAZN
Group E: Monterrey vs. Internazionale Milano at Rose Bowl Stadium in Los Angeles; 6 p.m. ET on DAZN
This news was originally published on this post .
Be the first to leave a comment