Auckland City suffered a heavy 6-0 defeat against Benfica in a Club World Cup Group C match that was interrupted at half-time due to a thunderstorm.
Trailing 1-0 when lightning and thunder halted play, the New Zealand side might have wished the match had been abandoned altogether. But after a two-hour weather delay, the Portuguese side completely dominated the second half, adding five more goals. The result leaves Auckland City with a harsh 0-16 goal difference following an earlier loss to Bayern Munich.
World Cup winner Ángel Di María converted two penalties — one deep into first-half stoppage time and another in added time at the end of the match. Leandro Barreiro also scored twice.
Although Auckland City managed a few counterattacks in the first half, they were thoroughly outclassed, being outshot 18-1 before the break. After the delay, Benfica capitalized on Auckland’s fatigue and defensive lapses.
“I’m a little bit frustrated,” said Auckland coach Paul Posa.
“We played solidly in the first half, but it’s disappointing to concede before the break. The players will be disappointed with the final scoreline.”
After play resumed, Vangelis Pavlidis quickly extended Benfica’s lead in the 53rd minute, followed by goals from Renato Sanches and two from Barreiro, taking it to 5-0 before Di María’s late second penalty completed the rout.
Just before halftime, Auckland midfielder Tong Zhou suffered an apparent head injury, receiving treatment on the field. During the delay, Benfica’s Alvaro Carreras was booked after arguing with officials about the stoppage.
Auckland City will face Argentina’s Boca Juniors in their final group stage match in Nashville later this week.
