Boca fans take over Hard Rock in Benfica draw

After Lionel Messi lit up the Club World Cup opener, Miami's Hard Rock Stadium was awash successful Argentine passionateness again arsenic Boca Juniors fans turned it into a small Buenos Aires for their team's 2-2 gully with Benfica connected Monday.

A time aft draping the shores of Miami Beach successful bluish and golden connected the eve of their team's debut, the Boca fans chanted their mode into the arena and done the game, which enactment them successful 2nd spot successful Group C down Bayern Munich aft the German champions demolished Auckland City 10-0 connected Sunday.

Both teams finished with 10 men aft Benfica's Andrea Bellotti and Boca's Nicolas Figal picked up consecutive reddish cards successful a heated contention that saw the Portuguese squad cancel retired a two-goal deficit.

Boca adjacent look Bayern connected Friday successful Miami portion Benfica volition look Auckland City successful Orlando, Florida.

After a scrappy opening 20 minutes, the stands trembled erstwhile Boca went up successful the 21st arsenic Lautaro Blanco's debased transverse was met by Miguel Merentiel, triggering chaotic celebrations.

Six minutes later, the Argentine broadside doubled the tally with a Rodrigo Battaglia header, stunning Benfica, who had been dominating from the onset.

Nicolás Otamendi was past brought down successful the container and Benfica earned a punishment pursuing a VAR reappraisal and Ángel Di María coolly sent the goalkeeper the incorrect mode to chopped the extremity shortage down to 1 astatine the changeable of halftime.

Former Manchester United prima Ander Herrera, present with Boca and withdrawn aft an aboriginal injury, was sent disconnected astatine halftime for arguing the VAR call.

Benfica were down to 10 successful the 70th aft Bellotti was shown a consecutive reddish paper for a precocious footwear successful the backmost of the caput of Ayrton Costa. It was the archetypal reddish paper of the 31-year-old Belotti's career.

The Portuguese side, however, levelled six minutes from clip erstwhile Otamendi recovered the backmost of the nett with a almighty header, with 7 of his 8 goals this play coming successful specified fashion.

The effect kept the six-time Copa Libertadores champions' hopes live to beforehand into the knockout phase, which would beryllium a boost for the tourney arsenic South American fans are expected to bring the biggest magnitude of passionateness into the stadiums.

Information from Reuters was utilized successful this recap.