Absolute dominance, natural rout

MATCH HIGHLIGHTS

Benfica beat Auckland City by 6-0, on matchday 2 of Group C of the Club World Cup, this Friday, June 20, at the  Inter&Co, in Orlando. Dominating and pressing from the first to the last minute, the Eagles scored through Di María (2), Pavlidis, Renato Sanches, and Barreiro (2).

To win the three points and achieve a substantial difference between goals scored and conceded in the match against New Zealand's Auckland City – a factor that could be relevant in qualifying for the next stage – coach Bruno Lage fielded a starting eleven with only three defensive players, as follows: Trubin, Álvaro Carreras, António Silva, Aursnes, Kökcü, Di María, Pavlidis, Aktürkoğlu, Barreiro, Prestianni, and Otamendi. Kökcü, Aktürkoğlu, Barreiro, and Prestianni were new additions compared to the match against Boca Juniors.

Prestianni, always irreverent, was fouled inside the area in the 45th+5 minute, and the referee did not hesitate to award a penalty. In the 45th+8 minute, Di María opened the scoring (1-0) with another classy finish, deceiving his opponent.

STORM DELAYED START OF SECOND HALF

The start of the second half was delayed due to weather conditions, with a storm making it impossible to play outdoors. As a result, the match only resumed after 3:20 p.m. local time (8:20 p.m. continental time), with a delay of more than two hours.

In the 53rd minute, an extraordinary individual effort by Pavlidis in the opposing area culminated in an excellent finish that gave the Eagles their second goal (2-0). And what a goal!

In the 63rd minute, Renato Sanches, outside the area, scored with the ball deflecting off an opposing defender (3-0) and ending up in the back of the New Zealand net. Di María, in the 66th minute, tried again to score with a shot on goal.

In the 76th minute, Barreiro converted a left-footed cross from Pavlidis in the six-yard box (4-0). In the 77th minute, Renato Sanches came very close to scoring again, but Di María was in an offside position when the cross was made.

In the 78th minute, Barreiro appeared again in an excellent position, tapping in a cross from Tiago Gouveia in the six-yard box (5-0). Good attacking play from the Reds.

In the last minute of stoppage time, at 90'+4', Di María broke away down the right flank, drifted into the box, and was brought down by Nicky Boxall. Initially, the Qatari referee waved play on, but at the next stoppage, he was alerted by VAR, reviewed the footage, and awarded the penalty. Di María once again showed his accuracy and class in taking the penalty, in the 90th+8th minute, sealing the result of the match (6-0).

Benfica has four points in Group C of the 2025 Club World Cup, and in the next match, the third, on Tuesday, June 24, the Eagles will face Bayern Munich at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte.