Benfica Nets Six Against Struggling Auckland City for First Club World Cup Victory

SL Benfica cruised to a dominant 6-0 victory in the FIFA Club World Cup, marking their first triumph in eight matches played on neutral territory. In contrast, Auckland City suffered their seventh consecutive loss in various iterations of this tournament, conceding a staggering 27 goals while managing to score just once.

Just two minutes into the match, Benfica’s Kerem Aktürkoglu squandered a golden opportunity, shooting wide when well-placed. At this early stage, Auckland had seen little of the ball, setting a precedent for the rest of the clash.

While Benfica found opportunities down the flanks without posing a threat centrally, an overhead kick from Nicolás Otamendi at least offered the sparse crowd a moment of enthusiasm, albeit ending in the arms of goalkeeper Nathan Garrow.

Garrow was called into action again a minute later, stopping a shot from Orkun Kökçü, while at the other end, Jerson Lagos’ attempt to score was thwarted.

Haris Zeb began to push his team forward, with intelligent play from Myer Bevan and Zhou Tong inciting a furious response from Benfica manager Bruno Lage.

Aktürkoglu found himself with another good opportunity to score but fired wide once again, while a speculative attempt from Ángel Di María soared into the stands. Vangelis Pavlidis then somehow managed to miss from close range after being set up by Di María.

As the match approached half-time, a disallowed goal at the 42-minute mark typified Auckland’s misfortune. Garrow’s impressive seven saves in the first half kept their opponents at bay until the very last moments when Auckland’s resistance collapsed.

An overzealous challenge from Zeb on Gianluca Prestianni resulted in a penalty, which Di María calmly converted.

Severe weather led to a lengthy delay of two hours and 20 minutes before the second half could commence, and when it finally did, both teams looked to attack.

Zeb’s low shot on the 48th minute was pushed wide by Anatoliy Trubin, and Bevan soon came close as well. However, it was Pavlidis’ expert volley that finally separated the two teams.

Renato Sanches, just moments after entering the match, unleashed a long-range strike that found the net, but it wasn’t until 75 minutes that Leandro Barreiro netted the fourth, followed shortly by another from Barreiro in the 77th, as Auckland began to fade.

In the dying moments, Nikko Boxall’s challenge on Di María in the 94th minute led to another penalty, which the World Cup winner converted, sealing a thorough 6-0 victory.

Although the final scoreline was harsh on Garrow, whose remarkable saves likely spared his team from a heavier defeat, Benfica celebrated a significant achievement, not conceding in a match for the first time in six outings.

Approaching their last Group C match against Bayern, Benfica will likely enter with some caution, especially following a lacklustre first-half performance. As for Auckland, having conceded 16 goals in just two matches, they are set to make an early exit after their concluding game against Boca Juniors.

For a recap of the match, click here.

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