Upstarts vs. powerhouses in Club World Cup knockout 

TROY HULL | THE CHARLOTTE POST

Benefica (in red) upset Bayern Munich 1-0 on June 24 in the group stage of the FIFA Club World Cup. They advanced to the Round of 16 for a match against Chelsea on June 28 at Bank of America Stadium

It’s win or go home time in the FIFA Club World Cup.

Charlotte will host two matches of consequence, the first a European affair between Benfica and Chelsea June 28 at 4 p.m. 

It will be the second match in Charlotte for the Portuguese side as they topped Group C with a 1-0 win over favored FC Bayern Munich on Tuesday. The German champions started a heavily rotated first XI with seven changes from their previous match, a 2-1 win over Boca Juniors, a team that Benfica drew 2-2. They were uninspired at best, perhaps comfortable with a draw that would have seen both teams through, but with Bayern in first position.

Benfica changed the conversation with a goal by Andreas Schjelderup in the 13th minute, but Bayern’s starters still lacked urgency as heat was a definite factor. Manager Vincent Kompany brought on Harry Kane, Joshua Kimmich, and Michael Olise – all of whom watched most of the first half from the locker room - at the start of the second half, and the match improved immediately.

The crowd also picked up, looking like it might not break 10,000 early on, but with Bank of America Stadium filling up as the game progressed. The announced attendance was a respectable 33,287 on an afternoon with temperatures soaring into the mid-90s.

Bayern finished with almost twice as many shots, but both teams put four on target. Benfica’s 23-year-old goalkeeper, Anatoliy Trubin, was the player of the match with four strong saves to keep Bayern at bay. He will have to be just as good against Chelsea, who should come out with much more intention than Bayern.

In a common refrain from coaches, Kompany said, “We were dominant, we created more chances, we didn’t win. If you have chances and don’t take them, you pay the price.”

“I think it’s time for people to believe more in our work,” Benfica manager Bruno Lage told DAZN. “We can achieve these victories.”

Chelsea reached this game finishing second in Group D, winning their last match against ES Tunis (Tunisia) 3-0 on goals by Tosin Adarabioyo, new signing Liam Delap, and Tyrique George. Top of the group were Flamengo, who beat Chelsea 3-1 in game two. The Londoners beat MLS side LAFC 2-0 in their opener. 

Delap scored 12 goals in Premier League play for Ipswich last season and has already assisted against LAFC after coming on in the 64th minute before notching his first goal for the Blues against Tunis.
Benfica and Chelsea last met in a Europa League final, a 2-1 win for Chelsea. In three matches all-time, the other two in 2012 Champions League play, Chelsea also won 2-1 and 1-0.

Inter Milan vs. Fluminense

The intercontinental clash between UEFA Champions League finalist Inter Milan and Fluminense FC from Rio de Janeiro next week will be the first Monday afternoon football match at Bank of America Stadium. Kickoff is set for 3 p.m.

Inter finished atop Group E with a closing 2-0 win over River Plate, a result that sent the Argentine side home and allowed Monterrey of Mexico to take second in the group with their 4-0 win over Japan’s Urawa Red Diamonds. The north Italy club, which finished second by one point to Napoli in Serie A this year, drew 1-1 with Monterrey in their first match and squeaked by Urawa 2-1 after coming from behind with two second half goals, the winner two minutes into added time. 

Fluminense are the second-place team from Group F, where they qualified behind Borussia Dortmund. The Brazilian club drew 0-0 with Dortmund in game one, scored all their first round goals in a 4-2 win over Korean side Ulsan HD FC. Their goalkeeper, 44-year-old Fabio, was the man of the match for his three saves in a 0-0 draw with Mamelodi Sundowns from Pretoria, South Africa.
Fluminense coach Renato Gaucho was unapologetic about his team’s bunker defense. 

“We achieved what we came here to achieve, qualification in the first phase,” he said. “We knew we would have a lot of difficulty, but sometimes it is better to suffer and qualify than to want to play well and lose.”
Fluminense finished second to Manchester City in the 2023 Club World Cup, losing 4-0 in the final.

A cap for Claudia

In other international play, Charlotte’s Claudia Dickey earned her first national team cap, starting in goal for the United States women’s team in a friendly against Ireland on Thursday night in Denver. She played the full 90 in a 4-0 win. Her first call-up to the senior national team came in January. 

Dickey earned four junior national team caps at the 2020 Concacaf Women’s U-20 Championship, won by the USA, and would have more but the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup was cancelled that year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 25-year-old played soccer and basketball at Charlotte Latin and North Carolina before focusing on soccer at Chapel Hill. She was drafted by the NWSL’s Seattle Reign in 2022 and is their starting keeper.
Also starting for the U.S. were former Tar Heels Ally Sentnor and Avery Patterson, and former Duke star Michelle Cooper.

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