SportsPosted at: Jun 17 2025 2:14PM


Benfica holds Boca; Chelsea, Flamengo win at Club World Cup

New York, June 17 (UNI) Benfica left it late to hold Boca Juniors while Chelsea and Flamengo secured comfortable wins at the FIFA Club World Cup on Tuesday.
Nicolas Otamendi scored an 84th-minute equalizer as Benfica recovered from two goals down to earn a 2-2 draw with Boca Juniors in a tense encounter at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens.
Miguel Merentiel gave the Argentine side the lead by angling a first-time effort into the far corner after Lautaro Blanco's fine run and cross from the left flank.
Rodrigo Battaglia made it 2-0, latching onto Ayrton Costa's nodded pass from a corner with a low header that beat goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin at his near post. Angel Di Maria pulled a goal back from the penalty spot after a soft foul from Carlos Palacios on Otamendi.
The Portuguese side was reduced to 10 men in the 72nd minute when Andrea Belotti was shown a straight red card for catching Costa with a boot to the head. Despite the numerical disadvantage, Benfica pushed for an equalizer and the Lisbon-based club was rewarded as Otamendi met Orkun Kokcu's corner with a thumping header.
Boca also finished with 10 men after Jorge Figal was dismissed for a studs-up challenge on Florentino Luis two minutes from time. "It's a strange feeling, to be honest," Boca captain Merentiel said afterwards.
"It leaves a bit of a bitter taste, and now it's about moving forward. Now, we'll focus on believing in ourselves, in our own strengths, and we'll come out in the next match to give our best."
Benfica manager Bruno Lage was similarly rueful, insisting his team deserved to win. "We started
the game well, we were the better team but we conceded two goals and it's difficult to accept," Lage said.
"Our first goal was important, then we made more runs into the box and we could have won the game."
In Atlanta, Pedro Neto and Enzo Fernandez scored either side of halftime as Chelsea registered a 2-0 victory over Los Angeles FC.
Neto gave the Premier League side the lead in the 34th minute, running onto Nicolas Jackson's through ball and skipping around his marker before firing low past Hugo Lloris at the near post.
Enzo Fernandez doubled the advantage, showing the touch of a center-forward as he deftly controlled Liam Delap's cross and prodded home from point-blank range.
"What's important is the behavior and the attitude of the players, and once again they showed how professional they are," Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca told a post-match news conference.
"Our desire to win was evident from the beginning and so was our willingness to work hard to not concede a goal."
In Philadelphia, Luiz Araujo scored one goal and set up another as Brazil's Flamengo cruised to a
2-0 victory over Tunisian club Esperance.
Uruguayan midfielder Giorgian de Arrascaeta opened the scoring when his first-time shot after Araujo's cross left goalkeeper Ben Said with no chance. Jorginho, making his debut for Flamengo after joining from Arsenal earlier this month, added composure to the midfield and played a key role in the second goal.
The Italy international delivered a sharp one-touch pass to release Araujo, who cut inside and curled a left-footed shot into the far corner.
"We have great players and I think for that reason we can understand each other, even without having played together before," Jorginho said.
"We enjoyed tonight's game and the support of fans really helped us. The most important thing is
that we played well and had control from start to finish."
UNI/XINHUA BM
Tags: #Benfica holds Boca; Chelsea# Flamengo win at Club World Cup
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