Drama in Hard Rock Stadium: Boca Juniors Played 2-0 lead against Benfica!

Drama in Hard Rock Stadium: Boca Juniors Played 2-0 lead against Benfica!

On June 17, 2025, the opening match of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup between Ca Boca Juniors and Benfica Lisbon took place in the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami. Despite a dominant performance that Boca Juniors initially brought in a 2-0 lead, the game ended with an unexpected 2-2 draw. The goals for the Argentinians scored Miguel Merenet in the 21st minute and Rodrigo Battaglia in the 27th minute. Benfica was able to connect shortly before half -time through a penalty from Ángel di María (45.+3 minute).

The second half was characterized by violent controversy. Andrea Belotti from Benfica saw the red card in the 70th minute after a Var intervention. Despite numerical superiority for Boca Juniors, the team had to be satisfied with a draw when Nicolás Otamendi achieved equalization in the 84th minute. In the 88th minute, Nicolás Figal from Boca Juniors also saw the red card after a brutal kick and will be closed in the next game. Other Herrera, who was already on the bench, received a red card for his symptoms and will be missing against FC Bayern Munich.

The result and the viewers

totaling 55,574 spectators watched the exciting match, including FIFA President Gianni Infantino and numerous ex-stars of world football. The game was a real thriller that captivated the audience until the end, even if Boca Juniors' superiority did not lead to victory in the end.

For Boca Juniors, the duel against FC Bayern Munich, which is scheduled for June 21, 2025. With a win, the German champion could already make it clear to the round of 16 of the club World Cup. The competition itself, which will be held in the United States from June 14 to July 13, 2025, is already very popular and offers 32 teams the opportunity to fight the title. This new structure of the club World Cup comprises a group phase with eight groups of four, followed by a K.-O. system, as described on the website of Wikipedia [Wikipedia] (https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/fifa-club world championship_2025).

outlook on the FIFA Club World Cup

FIFA has set a comprehensive distribution of the participant places, with Europe with 12 places and South America strongly represented with 6 places. This is a significant change, since the competition previously only comprised only seven participants. Additional attention is paid to the new technologies, such as the body cams of the main referees, which will be used for game support in the future.

In the coming weeks, fans expect many exciting encounters as part of the club World Cup, which promises a great spectacle not only for the participants, but also for the audience. This first edition of the extended club World Championship already awakens great expectations and hopes, even after the dramatic twists in the opening game.

Vienna reports that Boca Juniors and Benfica Lisbon separated in a gripping duel while Tagesspiegel describes the events in Miami in detail.