SL Benfica secured a convincing 6-0 victory in the FIFA Club World Cup, marking their first win in eight matches played on neutral ground, against an Auckland City team that has now suffered seven consecutive defeats in this tournament with an aggregate score of 27-1.
Just two minutes into the match, Benfica’s Kerem Aktürkoglu had the opportunity to take the lead but sent his effort wide from a promising position. Auckland barely had a touch on the ball during this early phase, which set the tone for the remainder of the encounter.
Benfica found joy down the wings despite failing to threaten their opponents through the middle. Nicolás Otamendi attempted an overhead kick that, while spirited, went directly into the arms of keeper Nathan Garrow, providing one of the few moments to cheer for the sparsely populated crowd.
Garrow soon denied Orkun Kökçü, while Jerson Lagos saw his shot blocked at the other end, as Auckland attempted to gain some momentum.
As Haris Zeb started to push his team forward, intelligent plays by Myer Bevan and Zhou Tong provoked Benfica coach Bruno Lage to express his frustration with his players.
Aktürkoglu had yet another opportunity to score but again missed the target, this time followed by a speculative shot from Ángel Di María that soared into the stands. Vangelis Pavlidis uncharacteristically failed to find the net from close range after being set up by Di María.
Just before halftime, a disallowed goal on the 42nd minute highlighted Auckland’s misfortune. Garrow’s impressive performance, with seven saves in the first half alone, continued to thwart Benfica, but finally, in the fifth minute of stoppage time, their resilience was cracked.
An overzealous Zeb brought down Gianluca Prestianni, resulting in a penalty that Di María calmly converted.
Due to severe weather conditions, the second half was delayed by two hours and 20 minutes, but once play resumed, both teams sought to seize control.
Zeb had a low shot on 48 minutes that required a smart save from Anatoliy Trubin, while Bevan was also close to scoring. However, it was Pavlidis’ clinical finish that established a clear lead for the Portuguese side.
Substitute Renato Sanches, making an instant impact, scored from a distance just two minutes after entering the fray, but despite prolonged pressure from Benfica, they had to wait until the 75th minute for Leandro Barreiro to scramble in their fourth goal, followed by his fifth just two minutes later as Auckland’s energy waned.
In the dying moments of the match, Nikko Boxall’s challenge on Di María resulted in yet another penalty, which the FIFA World Cup winner converted with a well-placed low shot.
The final scoreline was harsh on Garrow, whose outstanding performance arguably prevented a much larger defeat.
This victory marked the first time in six matches that the Portuguese side kept a clean sheet, yet Benfica will approach their upcoming Group C contest against Bayern with a tinge of anxiety after a lacklustre first-half display.
Auckland, on the other hand, have conceded 16 goals in just two matches and will be heading home after their concluding game against Boca Juniors.
Catch a match summary here
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Compiled by SportArena.com.au.
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