Benfica Stuns Bayern as Club World Cup Drama Unfolds in Scorching Charlotte Heat
What a rollercoaster of a night it was at the Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, where SL Benfica pulled off a shock 1-0 win over Bayern Munich in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup group stage. It wasn’t just the 100-degree Fahrenheit heat that brought the intensity — the football did that all on its own.
From the start, Bayern came into this match with confidence. They’d crushed Auckland City 10-0 and scraped past Boca Juniors 2-1. With six points already in hand, Bayern looked poised to finish the group stage on top. Historically, they’ve dominated Benfica — unbeaten in 13 previous meetings. But history didn’t help them under this Carolina sun.
Vincent Kompany, clearly thinking about squad rotation and perhaps saving legs for the knockout stages, started a heavily rotated Bayern lineup. And honestly, it showed. The lack of cohesion, movement, and urgency was glaring. From midfield to attack, Bayern struggled. João Palhinha and Aleksandar Pavlović just didn’t click — both too similar in style, offering no real forward momentum. Meanwhile, young Tom Bischof was handed his debut, and although he showed promise with his off-the-ball movement, his touches were shaky. It was a trial by fire, and it showed.
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Benfica, on the other hand, were sharp and clinical. In the 13th minute, a low cross skidded through Bayern’s defense and found Andreas Schjelderup, who buried it. Just like that, Bayern was chasing. Ángel Di María, at 37, danced through defenders like it was 2010, making Josip Stanišić look foolish more than once. Manuel Neuer had to be at his best early to deny the Argentine from distance.
Things did shift in Bayern’s favor after halftime. Kompany brought on the cavalry — Harry Kane, Joshua Kimmich, and Michael Olise came in, and the energy immediately surged. Olise forced a yellow card from Nicolás Otamendi with his very first touch, and Kane tried to link up with Müller and Sané to break Benfica’s lines. But despite the flurry of activity, Benfica held firm. Their defense, anchored by the ever-experienced Otamendi, withstood the storm.
There was a faint hope that Bayern could at least rescue a draw — and had they been a bit more clinical, they probably would have. But credit to Benfica: they didn’t sit back too early and always looked like they had another goal in them on the counter.
So what does this mean? Benfica now tops Group C with 7 points and a +7 goal difference. Bayern, with 6 points but a superior +10 GD, still advances in second place. Boca Juniors and Auckland City are out. The path ahead? Benfica will play the Group D runner-up — either Chelsea or Tunis — while Bayern will take on Flamengo in the next round.
It’s not panic time for Bayern, but Kompany will surely be rethinking how he rotates and when he unleashes his top guns. For Benfica, this is a statement. Beating Bayern — even a rotated one — on American soil in such heat is no small feat. The knockout stage awaits, and if this game taught us anything, it’s that underdogs with spirit and organization can rewrite the script — even against football royalty.
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