Benfica Smash Auckland City 6-0 in Club World Cup Showcase
Let me walk you through what just unfolded in the FIFA Club World Cup: Benfica versus Auckland City—a game that was more than just a scoreline. On paper, it looked like a mismatch, and by the end, the score confirmed it. Benfica completely dominated Auckland City with a stunning 6-0 victory, but it wasn’t just a walk in the park for the Portuguese side.
The match had a rather unusual start—or delay, I should say. Thunderstorms caused a two-and-a-half-hour break, making it one of the longest halftime delays in recent tournament memory. The game was played in Orlando at the Inter&Co Stadium with just over 6,700 fans braving the unpredictable Florida weather.
Auckland City, who came into this match having lost 10-0 to Bayern Munich, managed to hold Benfica scoreless until first-half injury time. That’s when Angel Di MarÃa finally broke the deadlock with a calmly converted penalty deep into stoppage time. So despite the heavy loss, Auckland showed much more structure and resilience than in their previous outing.
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The floodgates opened after the restart. Eight minutes into the second half, Vangelis Pavlidis added the second goal after some smart work in the box. Renato Sanches made it three with a deflected effort that took the sting out of any hope Auckland might’ve had. Then came the Leandro Barreiro show—two quick-fire goals in the 76th and 78th minutes. And to round things off, Di MarÃa slotted home another penalty in the dying moments of the game, sealing the 6-0 result.
If we’re talking standout performances, credit has to go to Auckland City’s 20-year-old goalkeeper, Nathan Garrow. He made an incredible 10 saves. Honestly, if it weren’t for him, Benfica could have easily reached double digits. He touched the ball more than any of his teammates—59 touches, which says a lot about the pressure Auckland was under.
Benfica ended the night with 32 shots, 16 on target. Meanwhile, Auckland managed only four attempts, and only two really tested Benfica’s keeper Trubin. It was a statistical landslide.
Now, what’s next? Auckland City are out of the tournament and will play Boca Juniors in a formality match. Benfica, on the other hand, have a showdown with Bayern Munich coming up—and they likely need at least a draw to punch their ticket to the last 16.
In the end, Benfica showed their class. Auckland showed spirit. And the weather, well, it made things all the more dramatic.
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