Club World Cup 2025: Chelsea Cruises, Benfica Shocks Bayern, Auckland City Stuns Boca With Draw

Benfica celebrate scoring against Bayern Munich in the FIFA Club World Cup. (AP)

Chelsea secured their place in the Club World Cup last 16 with a dominant 3-0 victory over Esperance of Tunisia. Meanwhile, Benfica delivered a stunning 1-0 upset against Bayern Munich in scorching conditions. In a surprising turn of events, minnows Auckland City held Boca Juniors to a draw, while Los Angeles FC's tournament journey ended with a stalemate against Flamengo.

Andreas Schjelderup's first-half goal proved decisive as Benfica defeated Bayern in their Group C encounter in Charlotte. Schjelderup expertly finished off a cutback from Fredrik Aursnes in the 13th minute, sending the Portuguese side to victory.

Bayern, despite introducing stars like Harry Kane and Michael Olise in the second half, struggled to break down Benfica's defense. Leroy Sane was denied by Benfica's goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin. A Kimmich goal was disallowed for offside, and Trubin again thwarted Sane, ultimately securing a historic win for Benfica.

This victory marked Benfica's first triumph in 14 competitive matches against Bayern. It secured their top spot in the group, setting up a last-16 clash against Chelsea.

"I think this was a very fair and important win, historic really," said Benfica coach Bruno Lage. "We were as straightforward and assertive as we should be and I think we were very effective in delivering our strategy today."

Bayern will now face Flamengo, with a potential quarter-final match against Paris Saint-Germain looming.

"You could see that it was really tough conditions so respect to both teams for that," said Bayern coach Vincent Kompany. "Our first half was not good enough for sure, the second half was definitely more the level that we expected and good enough to score one or two or three goals."

That result meant whatever Boca did against Auckland City in Nashville would not be enough to qualify, but the Argentine giants were still expected to do better than draw 1-1 against the tournament minnows from New Zealand.

Auckland City's draw against Boca Juniors was a significant achievement, especially considering their previous heavy losses. After conceding an own goal, Christian Gray's second-half header earned the Oceania representatives a memorable point.

"You can't say we haven't learned from the experience of being at the tournament, I'm thrilled for the players and the club, it's wonderful. It's something to go home with," said City coach Paul Posa.

"We're a tiny club with a huge heart and that's evident for all to see."

Chelsea's victory over Esperance was highlighted by goals from Liam Delap, who scored his first goal for the club, Tosin Adarabioyo, and Tyrique George.

Flamengo, already assured of their place atop the section, drew 1-1 with LAFC. Wallace Yan's late equalizer canceled out Denis Bouanga's goal for the MLS side.

The game between Auckland City and Boca Juniors faced a weather delay, halting play for almost an hour.

In other news, FIFA has launched an investigation into alleged racist comments made by Pachuca's Gustavo Cabral towards Real Madrid's Antonio Rudiger.