Before the final match of Group C, Boca Juniors needed a win against Auckland City to hope to win a ticket to the next round. In fact, the representative of New Zealand is only a semi-professional team. They are a collection of many members who play amateur football, with part-time jobs as delivery drivers, real estate brokers, teachers...
Auckland City scored a historic goal against Boca Juniors (Photo: ESPN).
In fact, in the first two matches, Auckland City made many people disappointed because of their poor performance. They lost 0-10 to Bayern Munich and lost 0-6 to Benfica. Therefore, many people thought that Boca Juniors with a squad of great players such as Edinson Cavani, Alan Velasco, Miguel Merentiel would not have any difficulty in winning big against this "little guy".
However, the earthquake happened when Auckland City played a brave and excellent match to hold Boca Juniors to a 1-1 draw. This was a historic score for the New Zealand team in the FIFA Club World Cup (when expanded to 32 teams).
According to statistics, Boca Juniors had 74% possession and 41 shots (10 on target). This number completely overwhelmed Auckland City. In the whole match, the semi-professional club only had 3 shots.
Boca Juniors took an early lead through a Nathan Garrow own goal in the 26th minute. But what surprised fans was that Auckland City did not flinch. They played disciplined, resilient and surprisingly equalized in the 52nd minute.
From a corner kick by Jerson Lagos, Christian Gray chose a tricky header position that left goalkeeper Marchesin helpless. Neither Lagos nor Gray were professional footballers. Lagos was a hairdresser and Gray was a teacher. They had taken time off work to embark on an adventure with Auckland City in the US.
Boca Juniors had 41 shots but could not defeat their "tiny" opponent (Photo: Getty).
Witnessing the Auckland City shock, the BBC commented: “An unforgettable moment for the amateur team from New Zealand.” Meanwhile, the Sweeper wrote: “Teacher Gray will have much to tell his students when he returns to New Zealand.”
Meanwhile, the Argentine press said that this draw was the biggest “humiliation” in Boca Juniors’ history. They were a huge disappointment at the FIFA Club World Cup.
In Group C, Benfica defeated Bayern Munich 1-0 in the same match to take the top spot. Meanwhile, Boca Juniors and Auckland City were eliminated.
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Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-thao/clb-ti-hon-cua-tai-xe-co-dat-gay-dia-chan-o-fifa-club-world-cup-20250625090307911.htm
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