Benfica and Auckland City were each involved in headline-grabbing opening matches at the FIFA Club World Cup.
Portuguese giants Benfica battled back from 2-0 down and being reduced to 10 men to claim a 2-2 draw against Boca Juniors.
Auckland gained unwanted headlines as they were hammered 10-0 by Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich — a record margin of defeat in Club World Cup history.
The New Zealand amateur side have gained plenty of interest and positive coverage in the aftermath of that loss, though, and acquitted themselves well against Benfica at Inter & Co Stadium in Orlando.
Angel Di Maria scored his second penalty of the tournament to give Benfica a 1-0 lead deep into first-half stoppage time. Then, everything stopped.
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Storm delays second half of Benfica vs. Auckland City
Shortly after the players left the field for the scheduled 15-minute break at halftime, a message appeared on the Inter & Co stadium screens.
“Weather delay! Match will restart as soon as possible,” it read.
A further notice from stadium staff added: “Fans have been asked to vacate their seats and take cover as we wait out this weather delay ahead of the start of the second half.”
The reason for the suspension was severe weather — thunderstorms and heavy rains in the Orlando area — that were deemed to be unsafe for players, officials and supporters after lightning detection systems being used for the tournament were triggered.
The interruption continued more than an hour after the scheduled resumption. A stadium announcement then confirmed warmups would commence at 3:05 p.m. local time, with a 3:20 p.m. restart if the weather did not deteriorate once more. However, further lightning strikes in the area caused a further delay.
📹 Every ANGLE of that Di Maria goal!
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Is Bayern Munich vs. Boca Juniors under threat from a storm?
Nine hours after Benfica and Auckland City kicked off in Orlando, the day’s other Group D match also takes place in Florida.
Bayern face Boca Juniors at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, 235 miles south of Orlando.
Temperatures are forecast to dip below 30°C (86°F) by the 9 p.m. kickoff, local time, but all eyes will be on the weather radar.
