Boca Juniors were denied victory by two of their fellow Argentines on Monday night, as Benfica staged a dramatic fightback to snatch a 2-2 draw in a fiery Club World Cup Group C encounter.
A penalty from Ángel Di María on the stroke of half-time and a late header from Nicolás Otamendi salvaged a point for the 10-man Portuguese side, in what felt almost like a home game for Boca given the overwhelming support in the stands.
The Buenos Aires club had raced into a 2-0 lead through goals from Miguel Merentiel and Rodrigo Battaglia, appearing to be on course for a memorable win, particularly after Benfica were reduced to 10 men with just under 20 minutes remaining.
Boca’s fans had descended on Miami Beach in their thousands over the weekend, transforming the beachfront into a sea of blue and yellow with hours of singing, flag-waving and chanting under the scorching sun. Inside the Hard Rock Stadium, the 55,574-strong crowd created an atmosphere more reminiscent of Buenos Aires’ Bombonera than an NFL ground.
On the pitch, Boca quickly imposed themselves, with their midfield pressing energetically and launching aggressive, fast-paced attacks. Their tenacity was evident early, with loud cheers erupting as Di María, one of Benfica’s Argentine World Cup winners, was on the receiving end of a tough challenge.
The opening goal came in the 21st minute after smart play down the left by Lautaro Blanco, who nutmegged Benfica’s Florentino before delivering a sharp ball into the box that Merentiel deftly flicked into the net. The noise level soared, and moments later Boca doubled their lead when Battaglia headed home from close range following a deep corner from Kevin Zenon.
Benfica, twice European champions, struggled to cope but were handed a lifeline when Carlos Palacios clumsily fouled Otamendi. Following a VAR review, which also saw Boca’s Ander Herrera sent off for protesting from the bench, a penalty was awarded. Di María calmly converted to halve the deficit.
Boca nearly restored their two-goal cushion in the 69th minute but Battaglia nodded wide from a promising position. Benfica’s task became even harder shortly afterwards when substitute Andrea Belotti was shown a straight red card for a dangerous high kick that caught Ayrton Costa.
Despite being a man down, Benfica continued to press and with six minutes left, Boca’s defence lost track of Otamendi at a corner, allowing him to powerfully head in Orkun Kökçü’s delivery to level the score.
Boca’s frustrating evening was made worse when Nicolás Figal was dismissed in the dying moments for a reckless challenge on Florentino.
“We’re left with a bitter taste because we thought we could have won it,” admitted Boca defender Rodrigo Battaglia. “We gave everything, we competed well, but failed to take advantage of having an extra player, and then conceded from a set-piece.”
Di María felt Benfica had done enough to win: “We tried to take all three points. We know what Argentinian football is like and how we needed to approach it. In the first half, we fell short. The second half was much better. We pushed for the win but just couldn’t find it.”
Boca and Benfica share Group C with Bayern Munich and Auckland FC.
