⚽ FIFA Club World Cup 2025 - USA: Discussion Thread ⚽

[Lillominato89]

It's half time already and yet Chelsea still playing a goal-less draw against Benfica, despite having the most ball possession and shots on target in tonight's game. But however, I'm pretty have a better chance of winning this game, so as to qualify to the quarter final to be played in few days time, as it's obvious Palmeiras just won their game against Botafo FR, hence , making them the most club to play between any team that win this match tonight against Benfica vs Chelsea for the quarter final to be played on July 5th

The game between Chelsea and Benfica has been unlocked, After many attempts, Chelsea took the lead against Benfica with R. James's goal in the 64th minute. There's not much time left and we'll know with extreme precision who Palmeiras' opponent will be

[ShowOff]

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It end of the first half and no team have able to score goal,but honestly,chelsea is putting pressure on benfica and  base on the way the game is going on if chelsea should continue like this it very possible that will be the team that will win the match.in term of ball possesion and team that created chances more it is chelsea.between the first half chelsea have able to created five shot on target while benfica just had one.the way people was rating benfica it different thing i am seeing but maybe in second have benfica will try to improve.i can't say it all now as sometime football is unpredictable if is not the end of the match,if not will say j have confident that chelsea will win the game and eliminate benfica.

Chelsea took a 1-0 lead thanks to R. James free kick. I think if Chelsea hadn't given the ball away so easily, they would have scored more goals. Benfica started to lose their cool in the second half, although they tried to increase their attacks. Being 1-0 down would have put the Portuguese team under pressure, and with the weather being quite hot, Benfica would have struggled to equalize.

I don't know exactly why the match was stopped suddenly in the 86th minute, it seems like there was a change in the weather, and it is not yet known when the match will resume. Overall, I think Chelsea will be able to win.

[ajanwalker]

In the last 10 minutes of the Benfica Chelsea match, referee Vincic called a break for the match because it was going to rain heavily. All the players went to the locker room.
It has been 5 minutes since the match was paused but not a single drop of rain fell.
Maybe it will start to rain after the match is over. I don't understand what the referee thought and called a break for it.
The temperature was 32° at the beginning of the match and the referee called a break when it got too dark towards the last minutes of the match. The stadium was completely empty.
Why aren't these stadiums closed in the USA? Similar situations are likely to occur in the World Cup.
I think the USA should consider these situations and choose more suitable stadiums for the World Cup.

The stadium announced that the match was postponed.

[bias]

What a boring match that was between Palmeiras and Botafogo, I almost fell asleep. I have the belief that the match between Benfica and Chelsea will be better and more exciting than the previous one. However, until now, they have proven me wrong. Hopefully, we will see a goal and everything will change for the better.

[Fiatless]

Benfica is not strong, I have no doubt that Chelsea will win this game with relative ease, Chelsea has currently scored 1 goal and I don't see them losing. Benfica with the current coach is a joke team, they are very inconsistent and have serious difficulties in beating big opponents, if Sporting were the Portuguese team in this World Cup, I am sure they would represent Portugal better. I am happy that Chelsea wins, maybe that way the Benfica board will realize that they need to change coach.

Chelsea is not a fantastic side, so I had some doubts that they would have a smooth ride over Benfica.  So far, Chelsea has dominated the match and created many opportunities to score several more goals. But the attack has not been clinical, with many of Chelsea's players missing great chances.  If not for that uncommon free kick from Reece James, the Blues would have still been struggling to win this match.  It is almost going to the last few minutes of the match, and it is looking like Chelsea will progress to the next round with this slim win because Benfica is not putting much pressure on to get an equaliser.

The match had been suspended because of a dangerous thunderstorm in the area and it seems some Chelsea players are not comfortable with the decision of the referee to stop the match.

[SUPERSAIAN]

It's half time already and yet Chelsea still playing a goal-less draw against Benfica, despite having the most ball possession and shots on target in tonight's game. But however, I'm pretty have a better chance of winning this game, so as to qualify to the quarter final to be played in few days time, as it's obvious Palmeiras just won their game against Botafo FR, hence , making them the most club to play between any team that win this match tonight against Benfica vs Chelsea for the quarter final to be played on July 5th

The game between Chelsea and Benfica has been unlocked, After many attempts, Chelsea took the lead against Benfica with R. James's goal in the 64th minute. There's not much time left and we'll know with extreme precision who Palmeiras' opponent will be

Benfica's defense was good, until the 64th minute Chelsea were defending against them, Chelsea found their way late. It was a perfect free-kick from James, the key was opened only with James' millimetric shot from a dead ball, otherwise the match would have been extended, Benfica had completely withdrawn, and Chelsea could not score. James' goal made things easier for Chelsea.

[boltz]

What a boring match that was between Palmeiras and Botafogo, I almost fell asleep. I have the belief that the match between Benfica and Chelsea will be better and more exciting than the previous one. However, until now, they have proven me wrong. Hopefully, we will see a goal and everything will change for the better.

Really a boring one indeed and I think we all had high hopes to see top Brazilian football right ? well , unfortunately both team got scared of playing football in the first 90 minutes but somehow with a bit of luck Palmeiras managed to score. Overall , I think Palmeiras played way better and Botafogo who chose to just defend were punished for it and I'm glad Palmeiras won.

It seems last 5 minutes from Benfica Chelsea are cancelled due to bad weather  

[Zaguru12]

In the last 10 minutes of the Benfica Chelsea match, referee Vincic called a break for the match because it was going to rain heavily. All the players went to the locker room.
It has been 5 minutes since the match was paused but not a single drop of rain fell.
Maybe it will start to rain after the match is over. I don't understand what the referee thought and called a break for it.
The temperature was 32° at the beginning of the match and the referee called a break when it got too dark towards the last minutes of the match. The stadium was completely empty.
Why aren't these stadiums closed in the USA? Similar situations are likely to occur in the World Cup.
I think the USA should consider these situations and choose more suitable stadiums for the World Cup.

The stadium announced that the match was postponed.

If it was another country having this similar problem many would have wanted the tournament not to be played in this country, games time is a bit off for me and then this kind of whether, I think towards the World Cup there should be clarity and whether should be taking into consideration, I could remember the Qatar World Cup was hosted in November/December instead of the annual June/July and I think that was a bit ok even though colling period was announced in most games,

US on its own isn’t a place for football like the European countries and as such they don’t build there stadium for that, if it a close roof would had been better than this, it is also not an easy project and without much participation like that they wouldn’t build big stadiums except for super bowls

[nelson4lov]

Even though the match is suspended, I think it's probably over at this point even if both teams still come back to play the last 5 minutes + stoppage time. Chelsea will just defend the rest of the game with Caicedo. If Benfica was serious about winning this game, they shouldn't have allowed Chelsea to control majority of the second half including their midfield dominance. Not going to watch again even if the game resumes. It's also not the first time there's been weather issues when a tournament like this is held in the US.

Very disappointing stuff.

[Sexylizzy2813]

Too bad to see Benfica play the way they are playing innthis encounter, wasn't expecting them to allow Chelsea play like they are the ones to dominate this game. Benfica played pretty well against Bayern Munich to get a narrow win and I expected them to use that same momentum to face Chelsea in this game but they couldn't provide a better chance in the first half and in the second half not much was seen by Benfica, the game has Chelsea written all over and I feel nothing more could be done to change the score line instead Chelsea are still pressing to get the second goal, they should just end the game in the dressing room.

[len01]

I just checked the list of teams predicted to win this tournament and 2 teams from the Brazil League are in the top 10 so let's wait for the miracle
You know Inter Miami is at the bottom of the list odds x150 if you choose this team as the winner the tournament.

Previously Real Madrid was the first to win this tournament according to bookies now the position has changed and Real Madrid is third, that's better for Manchester City. Lol
I think it will be a surprise who will win this tournament later, there is still a possibility of Manchester City or Real Madrid or it could be an underdog team.
Logic - who would dare to bet on Inter Miami winning.

Madrid faces a tough path in the round of 16, as they are likely to encounter several strong teams. In contrast, Manchester City has a relatively easier route to the next round. This could be one of the reasons why bookmakers favor City.
Maybe $1-$5 wouldn't hurt to try our luck betting on Inter Miami success even though we're fighting our own brains.  

transfermarkt.com

[Issa56]

What a boring match that was between Palmeiras and Botafogo, I almost fell asleep. I have the belief that the match between Benfica and Chelsea will be better and more exciting than the previous one. However, until now, they have proven me wrong. Hopefully, we will see a goal and everything will change for the better.

What do you expect in a match like this before? You should know that the match is going to be boring. There are some matches that I don’t always waste my time watching it, some I will just watch for like few minutes, if I notice that am not finding the match interesting, then I will just stop. Palmeiras and Botafogo match was just a boring and annoying one, I watched just few minutes, and I just stopped watching it, because there was no joy in watching the match. After playing a boring match, Palmeiras were able to get a win at the end.

[Btcdeybodi]

Inter Miami are definitely doing well in this tournament but I don't see them defeating the European champion is something I consider a little difficult for them but then there is the Messi effect which might send some form of fear to the French side. Whatever be the case, PSG will overpower Inter Miami in that match but they should respectfully reserve a goal for Lionel Messi so that Inter Miami can lose honourably.

I'm afraid Inter Miami will have to cut their progress in this competition. Playing against PSG the Champions League winners who defeated Inter Milan, this is a difficult task for Inter Miami and i barely hope to see them qualifying for next round. I know Messi will make great impact in the match but only one player cannot change the outcome of the game in the best way, if Inter Miami wants to win there needs to be collective efforts from all players at their best, by the way Inter Miami defense isn't as strong enough to hold down PSG attack.

Can we just remove the illusion of the fact that Lionel Messi will play for Inter Miami and see things from a real perspective. Who is Inter Miami compared to Paris Saint Germain? is it because they made it to the round of 16 through the help of Lionel Messi. Inter Miami stands no chance against PSG and that is just it, although Lionel Messi will threaten PSG's defense since they are weak but it won't be enough to eliminated PSG in the round of 16. I know some persons will be saying that if Botafogo could win PSG that why will it not be possible for Inter Miami to do same but this is the round of 16, the competition is getting matured unlike the group stages where small teams were winning big teams and even getting draws, but in this stage, big teams will not loose guard to mediocre teams.

[Fiatless]

Even though the match is suspended, I think it's probably over at this point even if both teams still come back to play the last 5 minutes + stoppage time. Chelsea will just defend the rest of the game with Caicedo. If Benfica was serious about winning this game, they shouldn't have allowed Chelsea to control majority of the second half including their midfield dominance. Not going to watch again even if the game resumes. It's also not the first time there's been weather issues when a tournament like this is held in the US.

Very disappointing stuff.

We shouldn't conclude that the game is over. It would have been safer for them to continue the game. This is because both teams have become exhausted. Coming back to continue this game after these players have recovered some strength could be risky. I think that was why some Chelsea players wanted the match to continue regardless of the weather threat. Benfica head coach Bruno Lage might simply throw all his players forward, after all, they have nothing to lose even if they concede more goals. In football, nothing is certain. Chelsea just needs to be careful because they are close to qualifying for the quarter-finals.

[pawel7777]

Have they just suspended the Chelsea Vs Benfica few minutes before the final whistle just because of some dark clouds and a possibility of rain? What nonsense is this?

What happens now? Are they waiting in the changing rooms, waiting for the game to be resumed, or are they going to play those remaining 5 minutes at a later day? Does anybody know?

Anyhow, it's most likely that Chelsea will be the one advancing to the next round. Although anything could happen in those 5 mins + the stoppage time, but if Benfica only managed to make 3 shots, including one on target, I don't predict they could turn things around.

Edit: I'm hearing that there were some nationwide weather warnings, so maybe the decision to suspend the game was not as silly as I thought it was.

[TelolettOm]

We shouldn't conclude that the game is over. It would have been safer for them to continue the game. This is because both teams have become exhausted. Coming back to continue this game after these players have recovered some strength could be risky.

Yes, it is true, it is very risky for the game to continue, it was a wise decision to suspend the game temporarily until the conditions are really good. Although it is almost over, however, the safety of the players is the main thing. And until now, the game is still suspended and has not been restarted.


Source: Chelsea's Club World Cup last 16 tie with Benfica has been suspended in the 86th minute due to the risk of a lightning storm in Charlotte.

[nelson4lov]

Have they just suspended the Chelsea Vs Benfica few minutes before the final whistle just because of some dark clouds and a possibility of rain? What nonsense is this?

What happens now? Are they waiting in the changing rooms, waiting for the game to be resumed, or are they going to play those remaining 5 minutes at a later day? Does anybody know?

Anyhow, it's most likely that Chelsea will be the one advancing to the next round. Although anything could happen in those 5 mins + the stoppage time, but if Benfica only managed to make 3 shots, including one on target, I don't predict they could turn things around.

Edit: I'm hearing that there were some nationwide weather warnings, so maybe the decision to suspend the game was not as silly as I thought it was.

Yup, you're right. But it's taking longer than expected. The announcement said minimum of 30 minutes but it's close to an hour now since it got suspended. The weather probably got worse. Like you, I'm also of the opinion that Chelsea is the likely winner anyway and Benfica would still be in the game if not for that mistake by their goalkeeper.

I just think it would be weird for the players to come back to the pitch after 2-5 hours to play 5-10 minutes of game time.

[Akbarkoe]

Chelsea took a 1-0 lead thanks to R. James free kick. I think if Chelsea hadn't given the ball away so easily, they would have scored more goals. Benfica started to lose their cool in the second half, although they tried to increase their attacks. Being 1-0 down would have put the Portuguese team under pressure, and with the weather being quite hot, Benfica would have struggled to equalize.

I don't know exactly why the match was stopped suddenly in the 86th minute, it seems like there was a change in the weather, and it is not yet known when the match will resume. Overall, I think Chelsea will be able to win.

Victory was in sight because considering that only a few minutes left the match would end, but it was very unfortunate that the match had to be postponed because the weather in America was very unpredictable, which could endanger the players and also the audience. Where at this time there was a storm and lightning, so inevitably the match had to be postponed.

I think FIFA really made a mistake by holding the Club World Cup in America, because apart from the weather factor that did not support it, on the other hand the public's enthusiasm to watch the match was also quite minimal, where in several matches the number of spectators filling the stadium seats was very small.

[Mayor of ogba]

What a boring match that was between Palmeiras and Botafogo, I almost fell asleep. I have the belief that the match between Benfica and Chelsea will be better and more exciting than the previous one. However, until now, they have proven me wrong. Hopefully, we will see a goal and everything will change for the better.

I only watched the first half of the Palmeiras and Botafogo game. I didn't bother to continue the game in the second half because of how boring the game was. The Benfica and Chelsea game was not even as tough as we expected, but it was more interesting and exciting to watch than the Palmeiras and Botafogo game.

[Asiska02]

Chelsea took a 1-0 lead thanks to R. James free kick. I think if Chelsea hadn't given the ball away so easily, they would have scored more goals. Benfica started to lose their cool in the second half, although they tried to increase their attacks. Being 1-0 down would have put the Portuguese team under pressure, and with the weather being quite hot, Benfica would have struggled to equalize.

I don't know exactly why the match was stopped suddenly in the 86th minute, it seems like there was a change in the weather, and it is not yet known when the match will resume. Overall, I think Chelsea will be able to win.

The match was suspended because of the coming thunderstorm. If you have been following the match live, you would see that the weather in the stadium changed suddenly and everyone in the stadium including the fans had to be evacuated to find a shade to hide in for the meantime. We don’t know how long the thunderstorm will last, but seems the match will be continue in about 1-2 hours from when it was suspended.

I also saw in the news that during the thunderstorm, if eventually a lightning strikes within a 10 mile ranges within the stadium, the match will only start after 30 minutes the lighting strikes and for every time a lighting strikes during the rain, the time will restart for another 30 minutes which makes it uncertain when the match could actually continue.

Chelsea lead is a very important one for them because with less than seven minutes to the end of the game, it looks like this match will end in their favour as they’ve dominated the game more than Benfica did. After this rest, all players will come out more energetic and Benfica will try to equalize the goal and extend the match to an extra minute. Chelsea need not to lose their defensive strength now and manage to allow the game end with this current score when the game resumes.