Hello and welcome to everyone joining us for some late night CWC action. Boca Juniors face Benfica in a crucial group C clash and we will bring to you the build-up as well as live updates from the encounter.
Hello and welcome to everyone joining us for some late night CWC action. Boca Juniors face Benfica in a crucial group C clash and we will bring to you the build-up as well as live updates from the encounter.
The match will kick off at 3:30am IST. The Boca Juniors vs Benfica, FIFA Club World Cup 2025 match will be live streamed for free on the DAZN platform in India. It will not be telecast on any TV channel in the country.
While we wait for the start of the Boca Juniors vs Benfica encounter, Chelsea are leading 1-0 against Los Angeles FC at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. The game is into its 63rd minute and LAFC are now beginning to get into the act as well.
Benfica have released their line-up for tonight's game. Check it out:
Chelsea are off to a winning start in the FIFA Club World Cup with a comfortable 2-0 win over LAFC in their Group D opener. Pedro Neto and Enzo Fernandez are the goal-scorer for the Blues, who handed Liam Delap a debut as a second-half substitute.
And here is how Boca Juniors line up ahead of kick-off in in Miami Gardens:
The two teams are on the pitch and kick-off is imminent in game 7 of the FIFA Club World Cup. The countdown begins...
And we are underway. Boca Juniors attacking from right to left and Benfica from left to right in the first half. The Portuguese side earns a corner in the third minute and the legendary Angel Di Maria sends in the cross, but nothing comes off it.
Benfica are dominating possession in the early exchanges. Angel Di Maria is at the heart of all their penetrative moves and he will no doubt be the main man, as far as the Portuguese side's goal-scoring opportunities are concerned.
Boca Juniors score against the run of play! Despite Benfica hogging most of the possession, the Argentine club makes the most of its first proper attacking move, and its' their captain Miguel Merentiel who converts. Blanco's low cross is met expertly by a zooming Merentiel in the 21st minute, and the Boca fans erupt in Miami Gardens.
What a sport this, football. Benfica were all over the Boca Juniors and all of a sudden the Argentine club have turned the tables completely. After Merentiel's opener in the 21st, Rodrigo Battaglia doubles Boca's advantage in the 27th. The defender heads the ball in with glee and the Hard Rock Stadium is buzzing with chants from the South American side's fans.
It's all happening at the Hard Rock Stadium. Nicolas Otamendi is brought down in the Boca Juniors box and Benfica earn a penalty upon VAR review. The talismanic Angel Di Maria steps up to the spot and coolly sends the goalkeeper the wrong way to score. Benfica cut the goal deficit down to one at the stroke of half time.
After six minutes of added time that stretch to more than eight in actuality, the first half comes to an end. Things got quite heated towards the end there, with the Boca Juniors players arguing passionately with the referee as he blew the whistle. Nevertheless, the Argentine club holds a slender but vital one-goal lead, going into the break.
We are back live. Boca Juniors now attacking from left to right and Benfica from right to left. One thing is for sure, that the Argentine club will continue to get their fans' unwavering support in the next 45 minutes. The vociferous supporters have made their presence known and could become a key factor in the outcome of the match.
There is an extended break in play as Merentiel is injured and has to unfortunately be taken away on a stretcher. Exequiel Zeballos replaces him on the pitch. Meanwhile, Benfica bring in Orkun Kokcu for Renato Sanches and Kerem Akturkoglu for Bruma.
Andrea Belotti is sent off in the 73rd minute! The Benfica striker catches the back of Ayrton Costa's head and upon VAR review, the referee awards a red card to Belotti. Benfica are now down to 10 men for the rest of the game, which will no doubt take the steam out of their potential comeback.
Drama! Benfica find an equaliser even while being down to 10 men. Nicolas Otamendi's powerful header flies in to the Boca Juniors goal and the Portuguese side has found a way back with six minutes left on the clock.
It is Nicolas Figal's turn to be red-carded now. The Boca Juniors centre-back receives a straight ejection for his poor challenge on Florentino Luis and both teams are now down to 10 men. Five minutes added as stoppage time as the regular 90 elapse.
What a ride this game was. It offered everything: quality goals, drama, contentious decisions and a thrilling comeback. In the end, it ends all square at 2-2, which is perhaps a fair reflection of how it transpired. Both teams were down to 10 men in the end, and Nicolas Otamendi's 84th-minute equaliser proved to be decisive.
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