Five things to look out for as Club World Cup kicks off
AFP Sport picks five things to look out for on the pitch as teams compete to conquer the world and claim their share of $1 billion in prize money.
Messi back in the spotlight
Former Barcelona great Lionel Messi has spent the last two seasons at MLS side Inter Miami but the Club World Cup pits him against European opposition once again.
The 37-year-old superstar still possesses supreme quality but there are question marks over whether he and former top level stars Luis Suarez, Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets can seriously compete against the cream of the crop.
Inter Miami face Porto in their second group match in Atlanta, a team Messi has faced once before, beating them with Barca in the UEFA Super Cup back in 2011.
Messi also featured against Porto in a friendly with Barca back in 2003, which was his first ever appearance for the club at 16 years old.
If he nets at the tournament, Messi would become the oldest ever Club World Cup goalscorer, while both he and Suarez trail the competition's all-time top scorer, Cristiano Ronaldo, by two goals.
A new stage for Doue
Paris Saint-Germain's Champions League final romp over Inter Milan was inspired by thrilling forward Desire Doue, who turned 20 earlier in June.
His spectacular burst into the limelight over the past few months means he is one of the players to watch this summer at the Club World Cup.
He struck twice in the final against Inter as well as setting up another goal and drew comparisons to Spanish starlet Lamine Yamal, who will not be playing this summer as Barcelona did not qualify.
PSG's opening clash against Atletico Madrid at the Rose Bowl in Los Angeles immediately gives Doue another stage to shine on as the world at large continues to discover his immense talent.
Revamped City
Pep Guardiola's Manchester City endured a poor season by their lofty standards and immediately took action in the special transfer window to bolster their squad for the Club World Cup.
The Abu Dhabi-owned club have already splashed more than £100 million ($136 million) on Tijjani Reijnders, Rayan Ait-Nouri and Rayan Cherki.
With holding midfielder Rodri also returning to fitness after injury, City are hoping they can step up their game significantly.
French 21-year-old attacking midfielder Cherki is an exciting talent looking to show his quality at the top level.
"I really believe he can become a world-class player with our support and direction," said City's director of football Hugo Viana.
South American threat
While Europe's elite are at the end of a long, hard season, South American clubs are midway through their campaigns and will be energised.
They have long revered the competition to a far greater degree than European sides, as it represents the chance to face the very best teams in the world.
Fans who do not regularly follow South American football can look forward to discovering some of the most exciting emerging talents in the world.
River Plate's Argentine playmaker Franco Mastantuono will join Real Madrid after the tournament, while Chelsea-bound striker Estevao Willian is hoping to end his time at Brazilian side Palmeiras with a bang.
Atletico hunger
Atletico Madrid ended the season trophyless despite looking like potential contenders in Spain and Europe.
Diego Simeone's side are proud of having reached the tournament ahead of La Liga rivals Barcelona and the coach has not hidden his desire to succeed this summer.
"I hope we can advance in the Club World Cup and lead Atletico Madrid to a privileged position," said Simeone.
Atletico have not won a single trophy since lifting La Liga in 2021 and their last success outside of Spanish football came in 2018 with Europa League and UEFA Super Cup wins.
Their elimination by Real Madrid in the Champions League after Julian Alvarez's controversial 'double-touch' penalty was disallowed sent them into a spiral, which they only managed to shake off in the final weeks of the season, after their chances of success had vanished.
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France 24
5 hours ago
- France 24
Bayern overcome battling Boca to reach Club World Cup last 16
Kane's strike gave the German champions the lead only for Miguel Merentiel to equalise, but Olise popped up with a late winner. After defeats for Paris Saint-Germain against Botofogo and Chelsea against Flamengo, Bayern bucked the trend of European teams falling to South American opponents with an accomplished victory in the Group C encounter. "It was a big performance from the guys, we knew it wasn't going to be easy, coming into a hostile environment with hot weather. In the first half we should have been two or three up then in the second they put us under a bit of pressure," said Kane. "They got the momentum but once they scored we shifted it back in our direction," added the England forward. Hard Rock Stadium was packed to the rafters with Boca fans who once again brought incredible passion and noise to the NFL stadium, home to the Miami Dolphins. But Bayern set about quieting the 63,587 crowd with Joshua Kimmich and Leon Goretzka taking charge of midfield and the movement of Bayern's frontline stretching the Boca defence. The German side thought they had the lead in the eighth minute when a corner from Olise passed untouched through a crowded six-yard box and into the net. But the referee was called to the monitor for a VAR review where he was able to clearly see that Serge Gnabry had blocked and tangled with Boca goalkeeper Agustin Marchesin, and the effort was ruled out. Ten minutes later, however, Bayern had the breakthrough when Boca were unable to fully clear a ball into the box and Kane pounced with a clinical left-foot shot into the bottom corner. Bayern smelled blood and pushed for a second -- Olise found Gnabry on the right and his low ball across goal was just inches away from the sliding Kingsley Coman. Boca desperately needed to find a foothold in the game and they came close when a thundering free-kick from Kevin Zenon was punched out by Manuel Neuer. Moments later Zenon tested the Bayern keeper again with another fierce strike which Neuer punched away. Olise's decisive blow But for all the signs of life from Boca, Bayern looked in control of the game and Kane was close to making it 2-0 with a dangerous free-kick which dipped just too late and flashed over the bar. Bayern continued to look for a second after the interval and the busy Olise should have done better from close range but couldn't connect properly with an off-balance shot. Boca never gave up harrying and grafting though and their reward came in the 66th minute. On a turnover in midfield, Alan Velasco found Miguel Merentiel down the right and he powered goalwards, skipping around Josip Stanisic before producing a brilliant, confident finish past the helpless Neuer. It looked like South American clubs' unbeaten record in the tournament was going to hold, but with six minutes remaining Olise provided the decisive blow. After a scramble on the edge of the box, Kane found the France international with a delicate lay-off and Olise provided precision control with a superb side-foot finish into the corner. Konrad Laimer thought he had wrapped up the win with a third moments later but he was ruled offside. Boca keeper Marchesin said the game had shown the level that the Argentine giants needed to maintain. "We're leaving with a lot of sadness, a lot of disappointment, but excited about what's to come. I think this is how we have to approach matches, with this seriousness, with this mentality that is what Boca is all about, what Boca needs, and hopefully we can continue on this path," he said. It was the first loss for a South American side in the competition and it leaves Boca with just one point before their final group game. Bayern have the maximum six points after crushing Auckland City 10-0 in their opening game with Portugal's Benfica in second place on four points.
France 24
6 hours ago
- France 24
Flamengo floor Chelsea at Club World Cup, Bayern face Boca
Pedro Neto had given Chelsea the lead in the first half but Flamengo, roared on by their frenzied supporters who made up the majority of the 54,019 crowd in Philadelphia, did not deserve to be behind and battled back in the second half. Bruno Henrique came off the bench in the 56th minute and equalised just after the hour mark before setting up former Real Madrid, Manchester City and Juventus defender Danilo to make it 2-1. Chelsea were stunned, and their hopes of pulling level again were effectively destroyed when substitute Nicolas Jackson was sent off in the 68th minute for a dangerous tackle on Ayrton Lucas. Wallace Yan, also on as a substitute, then sealed the victory for the Rio de Janeiro club, the Brazilian league leaders, when he made it 3-1 late on. "It was a special day for me and our club," said Flamengo coach Filipe Luis, a former Chelsea player. "We knew we would have chances against Chelsea, because we have one way to play and they know how to follow that path. "I am really happy with the game, but it is just one win. Now we have to think about the next game and try to go through this group phase, because it is not easy." Flamengo have won both matches in Group D and their place in the knockout phase was confirmed later when Esperance of Tunisia defeated Los Angeles FC 1-0 in Nashville. Youcef Belaili scored the only goal of the game in the 70th minute in front of a sparse crowd that included Nicole Kidman. LAFC were last-minute qualifiers after beating Club America of Mexico in a play-off following the decision to ban Leon for violating rules on multi-club ownership. The Major League Soccer side cannot now progress any further. Another weather delay Chelsea and Esperance now each have three points from two games and their meeting in Philadelphia next Tuesday will decide which team joins Flamengo in advancing. "We expected a tough game because Flamengo is a very good team, with good players and a good manager," said Chelsea coach Enzo Maresca. "They play very well, and in Brazil they are top of the league, unbeaten for many games, so it was not a surprise for us." Flamengo's win followed Botafogo's stunning success against European champions Paris Saint-Germain on Thursday, stretching the unbeaten record for South American clubs at the competition to nine matches. A tough test lies in wait for another South American representative, however, as Boca Juniors take on Bayern Munich in Miami in Group C. Bayern, who hammered New Zealand's Auckland City 10-0 in their opening game, can clinch qualification for the last 16 by beating the Argentinians. Earlier, Benfica crushed Auckland 6-0 in Orlando to boost their own hopes of progressing and eliminate the one Oceania representative at the tournament. Angel Di Maria's two penalties bookended the victory for the Portuguese side, with Leandro Barreiro scoring a brace while Vangelis Pavlidis and Renato Sanches got their other goals. The game was the fourth in the past four days to be hit by a weather delay. With Benfica leading by a goal at half-time, the match was interrupted because of a storm, eventually resuming two hours later. "This is the longest game of my career, a special thanks to our fans, who have been here for five hours supporting the team," said Benfica coach Bruno Lage. "We played as well as we could. The temperature made it very difficult."
France 24
9 hours ago
- France 24
Teams from 'south' have Club World Cup heat advantage: Dortmund's Kovac
South American teams have impressed at the tournament and are unbeaten to this point, while Dortmund's South African opponents on Saturday, Mamelodi Sundowns, beat Ulsan HD in their first Group F match. Temperatures are expected to rise up to 32 degrees Celsius during the game at TQL Stadium in Cincinnati, kicking off at 12:00 pm local time. Kovac's uninspired Dortmund were held to a 0-0 draw by Brazilian side Fluminense in their opening match on Tuesday. "At the moment in this tournament you see that the clubs from the south, I think they have a big advantage because of the conditions, of the heat," Croatian coach Kovac told reporters. "We're respecting every team and we know this is a very good team, from Africa, from South Africa." Brazilian side Botafogo stunned Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain on Thursday, while Chelsea lost against another Brazilian team in Flamengo. Some players and coaches have complained about the heat and humidity they have been forced to play in at FIFA's expanded competition, as well as fans who have also suffered. "For the spectators in the stadium it is incredibly hot, (so) now you can imagine how difficult it is for the players," continued Kovac. "(It's) 32 degrees when you're in the shade, and you're not even in the sun. So when you play inside the stadium you can assume it is 3, 4 or 5 degrees even hotter. "These are not excuses, it's just an explanation... this is very difficult, especially for the Europeans. The players from the south, for them it's easier because they are used to these temperatures." Kovac said his team would try to keep the ball away from Mamelodi because of the sweltering conditions in Ohio. "We need to prevent them from possessing the ball, we all know that it is going to be very warm, extremely hot tomorrow," said the coach. "We will play at noon tomorrow and we will play under the sunlight, we need to make sure we have the ball at all times. "If you have to run after the ball, it will mean a lot of effort." Kovac would not reveal if Jobe Bellingham, brother of Real Madrid star Jude, would be handed his first start, but said it was an option. "Don't forget to bring sunscreen, hat, and enough water to drink," Kovac warned reporters before departing. "Everyone on the bench will be under the sun for the entire time." Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso was hopeful of springing a surprise against Dortmund. "Upsets can happen when the mental conviction of the team is strong and their emotional connection is so strong that magic can happen," he told reporters.
