CLUB WORLD CUP
Bayern restore measure of European pride with Boca win to reach last 16
Bayern Munich reignited the flickering flame of European honour at the Club World Cup, battling through a tense, fiery showdown to claim a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Boca Juniors and storm into the last 16 on Friday.
Backed by a roaring sea of blue-and-yellow clad fans who turned the Hard Rock Stadium into a noisy outpost of their “Bombonera”, Boca Juniors fought fiercely, but Bayern’s resilience shone through in the closing stages.
After Harry Kane gave the German champions an early lead, Boca equalised through Miguel Merentiel, only for Michael Olise to score a late winner that lifted Bayern to the top of Group C on six points, two ahead of Benfica.
Boca, on one point, remain in contention as they face amateurs Auckland City in the last round of matches while Bayern will take on Benfica.
The win marked a welcome rebound for European sides, who have faced a tough run at the tournament with Porto, Paris St Germain and Chelsea all suffering recent defeats.
In a thrilling second half, Boca made Bayern fight for every ball in a match brimming with tension and bite.
In a thunderous atmosphere, the German side made a bright start and thought they had taken the lead when Olise’s in-swinging corner flew directly into the net, only for VAR to spot a foul on Boca’s goalkeeper.
The pressure eventually told in the 18th minute when Harry Kane latched onto a loose clearance and toe-poked a composed finish into the bottom corner after Konrad Laimer’s cross from the right for his first goal in the tournament after drawing a blank in his team’s 10-0 demolition of Auckland City.
Serge Gnabry scrambled the ball across the face of goal minutes later, but Kingsley Coman somehow failed to connect with what would have been a simple tap-in.
Manuel Neuer had little to do in the first half, though he was called into action to make two smart saves from Kevin Zenon as Boca refused to back down.
The Argentine side pressed higher after the break, showing typical grit and tenacity in the duels and slightly unsettling Bayern with their relentless aggression.
Spurred on by deafening chants from their travelling support, Boca clawed their way back into the contest, forcing several anxious moments in the German defence as tempers flared and challenges flew in.
In the 66th minute, Olise was harassed off the ball by three Boca players and Merentiel was fed in down the right and kept his composure to skip past Josip Stanisic before firing a shot past Neuer, sending the crowd into rapture as the whole stadium trembled.
Bayern’s composure eventually told as Olise bent one into the bottom corner after being set up by Kane six minutes from time.
-Reuters
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Flamengo delivered a potent reminder that the so-called superiority of European teams in club football is fading quickly after the Brazilian outfit beat Chelsea 3-1 in a Club World Cup contest that felt like a home match thousands of miles from Rio.
The Brazilian champions turned Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field into a tropical carnival, with 55,000 passionate supporters creating an atmosphere that was in stark contrast to Chelsea’s casual approach to the tournament.
Just 24 hours after Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca said the competition had “a pre-season feeling” to it and that he would rotate key starters throughout the group stage, his side became the second European giants in two days to be humbled by Brazilian opposition.
Friday’s result followed Paris St Germain’s shock 1-0 defeat by Botafogo a day earlier that had ended Europe’s 13-year dominance over South American opposition in intercontinental club football.
Pedro Neto’s opener for Chelsea proved to be a false start as they were given the run around following the interval. Flamengo, under the tactical guidance of former Blues defender Filipe Luis, responded with a ruthlessness that their theoretically superior rivals could not match.
Bruno Henrique and Danilo struck in quick succession to flip the contest, before Nicolas Jackson’s reckless red card – for a studs-up challenge that illustrated Chelsea’s loss of composure – paved the way for youngster Wallace Yan to deliver the coup de grace.
“When we conceded the first goal their fans started to be loud, and immediately after we conceded the second one,” Chelsea’s Marc Cucurella told DAZN, his words revealing the psychological impact of Flamengo’s thunderous support.
Following Yan’s goal, the supporters let out synchronised chants of “olé” to hail their team’s achievement.
On Thursday, Botafogo put on a brilliant defensive performance to pull off the unexpected win over PSG, who had been in imperious form as they followed up their 5-0 thrashing of Inter Milan in the Champions League final by routing Atletico Madrid 4-0 in their Club World Cup opener.
Botafogo’s solid discipline left PSG looking feeble and a shadow of the team that dominated European football throughout the season.
“Botafogo were the team that has defended best against us all season. They were efficient. The only thing left for me is to congratulate them,” PSG boss Luis Enrique told reporters.
With Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami also victorious against Porto, European clubs are in danger of returning home empty-handed from a tournament they had been odds-on favourite to win.
-Reuters
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South African club Mamelodi Sundowns are hoping a perfect storm on Saturday hands them a chance of success against heavily fancied Bundesliga giants Borussia Dortmund when the two meet at the Club World Cup.
Sundowns, who were runners-up in the African Champions League earlier this month, sit on top of Group F after beating South Korean side Ulsan HD 1-0 in their opening game but expect to be on the back foot for Saturday’s clash at the TQL Stadium.
For coach Miguel Cardoso, however, an upset result is possible even if the odds are slim.
“Upsets can happen when the mental conviction of the team is strong and their emotional connection is so strong that magic can happen,” he told a press conference on Friday.
“And that’s what I will try to create as an ambiance in the team; ambition, conviction, determination and the right emotion to play such a game and produce a good result.”
But Cardoso expects that his side, who enjoyed the lion’s share of possession in a dominant performance in their opening game, will not see much of the ball.
“We’re going to play against a team that is very aggressive. It’s a team that scores 40% of their goals from counter pressings.”
It will be an unusual situation for Sundowns, who dominate their domestic competition with a possession-heavy approach and are also a strong force in African continental competition.
“We won’t be used to not having the ball much and obviously that will require us to be resilient and keep organised, even when you are just waiting for the moment to get the ball again,” Cardoso added.
Sundowns are the only African side with a win at the tournament.
“We are very proud of that. What has happened now is that we have opened up a chance for ourselves and turned dreams into objectives,” said Cardoso.
“But we know what we have ahead and it won’t be easy.”
Sundowns’ last group game will be against Brazilian side Fluminense next Wednesday.
-Reuters
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Flamengo overturned a first-half deficit to defeat Chelsea 3-1 in their Club World Cup Group D clash on Friday, with second-half goals from Bruno Henrique, Danilo, and Wallace Yan securing the Brazilian side’s second consecutive win in the tournament.
Pedro Neto’s early strike had put Chelsea ahead, but the Premier League side squandered several opportunities to extend their lead, allowing Flamengo to stage a stirring comeback.
The Brazilians scored two goals in quick succession through Henrique and Danilo, in the 62nd and 65th minutes, which was followed by Chelsea forward Nicolas Jackson being shown a straight red for a nasty studs up challenge three minutes later.
Flamengo wrapped up the victory with Yan’s strike in the 83rd minute.
The result leaves Flamengo on top of Group D with six points from two matches, while Chelsea remain second with three. Esperance de Tunis and Los Angeles FC have yet to register a point, with both sides having a game in hand.
-Reuters
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