Auckland City Gets Routed for 2nd Straight Time at Club World Cup
Five days after losing 10-0 to FC Bayern, Auckland City was routed again, at the hands of Benfica.
Angel Di Maria and Leandro Barreiro each scored two goals on Friday to help the Portugese-based club, Benfica, to defeat Auckland City 6-0 in a Club World Cup game that was delayed at halftime because of thunder and lightning.
Di María, who teamed with Lionel Messi to win the 2022 World Cup with Argentina, scored his first goal from the penalty spot deep into added time at the end of the first half. His second score, and the team's sixth, was again from the penalty spot and in added time at the end of the match.
Auckland City exchanged counterattacks with the Portuguese powerhouse in the first half of the Group C match, but was still outshot 18-1.
The second half went Benfica's way. Vangelis Pavlidis made it 2-0 in the 53rd minute, Renato Sanches scored a short time later and Barreiro then scored a pair of goals to increase the lead to 5-0.
A thunderstorm delayed the start of the second half for more than two hours. When the match resumed at Inter&Co Stadium, the goals came pouring in for Benfica. Key moment
Auckland midfielder Tong Zhou went down with an apparent head injury just before halftime. Trainers attended to Zhou on the field, and Benfica defender Alvaro Carreras complained about the delay. He was given a yellow card after a spat with game officials. Takeaways
With the win, Benfica has four points in Group C. Bayern Munich, which beat Auckland City 10-0 in its opening match, plays Boca Juniors later Friday in Miami Gardens, Florida. What they said
"It was very good. We are happy to play here." — Benfica coach Bruno Lage.
"I'm a little bit frustrated. The first half was solid. It was just very disappointing to concede a goal. I think the guys are going to be a little bit disappointed in the scoreline." — Auckland coach Paul Posa.
Reporting by The Associated Press.
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Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms The players are in the tunnel and they're heading back out onto the pitch to warm up. Still no resumption in Orlando, but we're moving closer to one. There's been no lightning strikes for nearly 30 minutes which is good news, under any circumstances. 'I've had three coffees since half-time,' the German commentator tells us, with a touch too much excitement. Good news from Florida — the storm in Orlando appears to have passed and we could see a return to play between Benfica and Auckland City. There is still some lightning in the area and despite fans returning to the stands for a period of time, they have now returned to take shelter. We'll bring you more once the players return to the pitch and in the meantime Flamengo vs Chelsea is ongoing and that's also covered live on The Athletic . You can follow coverage of that match here. Getty Images We're no closer to play restarting in Orlando as this weather delay continues. 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Fans have been asked to vacate their seats and take cover as we wait out this weather delay ahead of the start of the second half. Let's hope they can get the game back underway at some point soon. Getty Images The fans have taken refuge inside the bowels of the stadium. The pitch, and the stands, are empty. The big boards inside the Inter&Co Stadium in Orlando, Florida have just announced that there will be a weather-related delay to the start of the second half. We'll bring you more information as we have it. A great image of that Vangelis Pavlidis chance. Goalkeeper Nathan Garrow clattered into his team-mate as they both aimed to block the Greek striker's shot, which trickled wide of the unguarded net. Bodies on the line! 📷 Well done to Alex Livesey for FIFA via Getty Images for this snap Getty Images 37 years old, countless major trophies won, a disputably meaningful tournament, against some part-timers in Auckland City... Never mind any of that. A goal is a goal, and Angel Di Maria is pumped about it, too. Getty Images And that's the break! What an end to the half — Benfica, after plenty of trying, go in to their half-time team talk a goal to the good. Heartbreak for Auckland at the end of the half but they are not down and out yet. Getty Images 45+6' Benfica 1-0 Auckland City They finally have their breakthrough! As cool as you like, Di Maria rolls the penalty low to the right and Garrow can only slide to the floor having dived the other way and watch it roll in. That was a reckless challenge to concede the penalty and it's a real sucker punch for Auckland. 45+4' Benfica 0-0 Auckland City It was going so well for Auckland! Lagos chops down Prestianni on his way into the box and there's little doubt that that's a spot kick. Angel Di Maria will take... Getty Images That crunching sound you can hear? That'll be the fans of every other team in Portugal, knocking back the popcorn as they watch this. 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Their goal has no doubt led a charmed life and goalkeeper Nathan Garrow has made some good saves, but it's been 41 minutes to be really proud of. Getty Images Seriously, how have Benfica not scored yet? Just as they look about to find the opener, forces seem to be conspiring against them to make the ball land the wrong side of the post. A goal is surely inevitable, after which the floodgates may open, but you can see the frustration grow on the faces of the Benfica players as they attempt to break the deadlock (and avoid potential embarrassment). Getty Images 40' Benfica 0-0 Auckland City What a game young Nathan Garrow is having! He palms away a shot from Pavlidis, cutting in from the right wing, and then Angel Di Maria follows up with a low, hard strike and Garrow meets it well down to his left. It's a bit of an onslaught as we reach the end of the half but Garrow is pulling off some great stops.
