Friday’s Club World Cup action was filled with stunning results, as Flamengo staged a brilliant comeback to beat Chelsea, and ES Tunis shocked LAFC, knocking the MLS giants out of the tournament. The victories put Flamengo in a commanding position in Group D. Meanwhile, Bayern Munich also strengthened their hopes for the knockout round with a narrow win in Group C.
Flamengo provided the comeback of the day. After falling behind 1-0 to Chelsea on a Pedro Neto goal, the Brazilian side roared back in the second half. Bruno Henrique, Danilo, and Wallace Yan all found the net to seal a decisive 3-1 victory and take control of the group.
The real drama, however, unfolded in LAFC’s 1-0 loss to ES Tunis. After Youcef Belaïli gave the Tunisian side the lead, LAFC earned a penalty deep in stoppage time, offering a lifeline to salvage a point. However, keeper Bechir Ben Said produced a heroic save on Denis Bouanga’s penalty kick to secure the incredible upset and eliminate the MLS club.
In Group C, Bayern Munich survived a tough fight from Argentina’s Boca Juniors. Harry Kane scored his first goal of the tournament to put Bayern ahead, but Boca equalized in the second half. Just when a draw seemed likely, winger Michael Olise struck in the 84th minute to give the German club a vital 2-1 win.
In the day’s other match, Benfica routed a helpless Auckland City 6-0. After an hour-long weather delay, Ángel Di María opened the floodgates and scored a second from the penalty spot to cap a dominant performance.
