Kane continues to flirt with U.S. venture
Follow all the action live as German giants Bayern Munich face Boca Juniors in their second Club World Cup match Getty Images Getty Images
Harry Kane was one of the Bayern players who came through the mixed zone yesterday. He is a big fan of US sports and teased the idea of coming back to Miami one day. It was unclear whether he meant as a kicker for the NFL's Miami Dolphins or perhaps one day replacing one of the DPs at Inter Miami. Getty Images
Still no Cavani for Boca. He hasn't made the squad again. His career with the Xeneizes has been underwhelming. A miss against Allianz Lima in the Copa Libertadores preliminaries continues to haunt him. I was at the Bombonera last month for a league game against Estudiantes. He had a penalty saved. In short, a big name but not a big miss. Getty Images
The third match of the day — between LAFC and Esperance — has just finished, and it is a damaging defeat for the MLS side.
They spurned a few decent chances and were hit by a 70th-minute sucker punch. Youcef Belaili was the man who squeezed his effort past Hugo Lloris and that turned out to be the winning goal at Geodis Park in Nashville, Tennessee.
LAFC were handed a golden chance to keep themselves alive at this tournament deep in stoppage time, but Denis Bouanga saw his penalty saved.
That result confirms their elimination, making them the second team to be knocked out of the 2025 Club World Cup. Getty Images
There is an hour to kick-off. The American anthem is being played. The Boca fans have decided to sing loud enough to drown it out. DALE BOCA! DALLLLLEE OOOOOO"
Vincent Kompany is under no illusions over the size of the task facing Bayern Munich this evening.
💬 'We know the quality of the tournament ... every team taking part here is a winning team.
'Boca are a very dangerous team in the transition game. They believe in their moments. The team spirit is good. We have respect for Boca. But we're looking at ourselves and want to bring our qualities to the game.' Getty Images
Still no sign of the Uruguay international and longtime European club star Edinson Cavani in Miguel Angel Russo's line-up.
Starting XI: Marchesin; Advíncula, Lollo, Costa, Blanco; Belmonte, Battaglia, Zenón, Velasco; Merentiel, Carlos Palacios. Getty Images
Another strong group to take the pitch for Vincent Kompany's side — here it is: Starting XI: Neuer; Laimer, Tah, Stanisic, Guerreiro; Kimmich, Goretzka; Olise, Gnabry, Coman; Kane.
The secret to this club's success isn't just keeping and regaining more attacking touches than your opponent. Under Kompany, Bayern works to keep the ball away from the other team by amassing middle-third touches.
Just under half of its time on the ball in the Bundesliga and Champions League (48.6 per cent) came in the middle third, while 31.1 per cent of touches came in Bayern's attacking third.
It's an approach that keeps the defensive third at the other end of the field relatively untrampled, and one that offers a talented and balanced squad plenty of time to find an avenue to exploit a defense.
In build-up, Kompany's men can venture into a 2-4-4, mostly keeping their midfielders between the central third and the half-spaces while width came from a pair of touchline-hugging wingers.
This sets up a varied number of avenues through which to provide star striker Harry Kane and others with service, while there's almost always a team-mate at the ready to converge if possession is lost.
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Club World Cup Group C: Will Bayern Munich reign supreme and can Auckland City's amateurs spring a shock? Getty Images
Bayern are favourites— as is customary for any competition the German club enters. Manager Vincent Kompany joined last summer to provide a more proactive and aesthetic play style.
With much of the old guard that kicked off the decade of dominance phasing out, Kompany leaned heavily on the next generation.
Between the 34-game Bundesliga campaign and their 14 Champions League fixtures, Bayern dictated the proceedings of its matches like nobody else in Europe's top levels.
In total, 26 clubs from the Bundesliga, Premier League, La Liga and Serie A were involved in either the Champions League or Europa League. Nobody kept a higher average rate of possession than Bayern's 67.2 per cent.
The team's goal difference of +80 was second only to Barcelona (+82), while a 76.2 expected goal differential was way ahead of second-placed Barca (61.5). Bayern also had the highest field tilt of the sample, a suffocating 76.2 per cent. Getty Images
Oh. What is… oh. The first instinct is that this looks like the pixels from a not-especially-good 1980s computer game, which…well, that could be a compliment but it's not intended as one here.
Having looked a little closer, what the two vertical flashes coming up from the bottom resemble is a person doing a double-bird flip, a pair of middle fingers raised high in the sky, but filmed with one of those heat-sensitive cameras.
Not for me, this one. Getty Images
Boca Juniors storm beaches. They plant their flags and wade through water. 'The biggest popular movement on the planet' is how they define themselves — and when they move, they move.
A club for the people, made great by their people. On Monday, Boca took Miami Beach. They lit fireworks and uncorked flares. Plumes of yellow and blue smoke twirled into the sky. Those colours, that noise…
'Soccer fever has truly taken over the United States of America,' FIFA president Gianni Infantino commented upon seeing the Boca fans' gathering on Miami Beach. Boca fever, more like.
Boca are great: not because of the team but because of the people, and the people were great on Monday night. You can expect more of the same again today.
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The irresistible madness of Boca Juniors
Two interventions from Nicolas Otamendi helped 10-man Benfica come from two goals down to draw with Boca Juniors in a feisty Group C game at the Club World Cup.
After 27 minutes Boca were 2-0 up, Miguel Merentiel flicking in a low cross and Rodrigo Battaglia heading home a second.
Benfica's Otamendi stayed down after being kicked at a corner to earn a VAR review and then a penalty, which Angel Di Maria calmly converted. Boca's protests were such that Ander Herrera, already taken off injured, was sent off.
Benfica lost striker Andrea Belotti to a red card with 18 minutes of the 90 to go when he was judged on review to have committed a dangerous foul when his high foot caught Ayrton Costa in the back of the head.
At that point, Boca looked well set for victory, but Otamendi headed in from a corner to level the game on 84 minutes, and the South Americans then lost Jorge Figal to a red card for a wild challenge.
It was the best game of the Club World Cup so far. That sort of entertainment would do nicely against Bayern, too...
GO FURTHER
Boca Juniors 2 Benfica 2 – Three red cards, sound and fury in Club World Cup's best game so far
It was a pretty easy ride for Bayern against the tournament minnows from New Zealand last time out.
At TQL Stadium in Ohio, the German side scored after six minutes through Kingsley Coman and from there the floodgates opened.
Sacha Boey, Michael Olise, Coman again, Thomas Muller, Olise again, a Jamal Musiala hat-trick, Muller again.
Double figures and a clean sheet. Perfect start. Getty Images
This is the final match on day seven of the 2025 Club World Cup and, for me, they have saved the best until last.
The day started in Orlando where a huge weather delay meant that the first game actually finished later than the second game.
Benfica were big winners against Auckland City in that first match, while Chelsea were stunned by Flamengo in Philadelphia at the same time.
Today's third game is just approaching the half-hour mark and it is still goalless between LAFC and Esperance. Benfica 6-0 Auckland City
Flamengo 3-1 Chelsea
Latest: LAFC 0-0 Esperance Getty Images Venue: Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, Fla.
Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, Fla. Capacity: 65,326
65,326 Team(s): Miami Dolphins, Miami Hurricanes
The Club World Cup began here Miami on June 14. Hard Rock Stadium was the site for the 2024 Copa América final between Argentina and Colombia.
The match was marred by a lack of crowd control that led to a near stampede outside the stadium's gates before kickoff. It was a security disaster for the tournament's organizers (CONMEBOL) and the local government.
The Club World Cup will be another opportunity for Hard Rock Stadium to prove it can host international football matches safely before the 2026 World Cup.
Messi will be the main attraction, but major brands like Boca Juniors will attract local fan groups and neutrals alike.
There is no public transportation system to the stadium, making driving or apps such as Uber or Lyft the most common way for fans to reach the site. The Athletic
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From the UK, we've got you covered throughout this expanded Club World Cup and on into the build-up to next summer's World Cup. Then in the U.S. the MLB season is all compelling viewing right now.
Wimbledon tennis, F1's iconic European races, and Open golf are all on the way soon too. We have the lot covered and much more besides, so make sure you're fully informed with access to our full experience.
And you're in luck — you can subscribe to The Athletic on an exclusive offer here. Getty Images
All matches at this Club World Cup are available to watch on DAZN, so you can watch this evening's game in the United States and anywhere else that has access to the platform.
You can also tune in via TBS.
TV and streaming rights to a selection of matches has also been licensed out to other broadcasters, with this match one of those chosen for live coverage on Channel 5, free to air in the UK.
In Australia, the Club World Cup is also available to stream on Kayo Sports. Getty Images
The game kicks off at 9pm ET, which is 6pm PT on the west coast of the U.S. and 2am BST in the UK.
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