Yan Nigeria
At least ten teams have qualified for the Round of 16 at the ongoing FIFA Club World Cup in the United States, following the conclusion of the latest group stage fixtures played on Tuesday and the early hours of Wednesday.
Benfica and Chelsea became the latest sides to secure passage into the knock-out rounds. Benfica sealed a narrow 1-0 win over German champions Bayern Munich, thanks to a first-half strike from Andreas Schjelderup.
The result saw the Portuguese giants top their group, sending Bayern through in second place.
Chelsea also advanced comfortably after dismantling ES Tunis 3-0. Tosin Adarabioyo opened the scoring, while Liam Delap and Tyrique George added their names to the scoresheet for Enzo Maresca’s side.
With these results, Chelsea and Benfica join Inter Miami, Palmeiras, Paris Saint-Germain, Flamengo, Botafogo, Juventus, Manchester City, and Bayern Munich in the Round of 16.
Meanwhile, at least 13 clubs have been eliminated at the group stage, including South American heavyweights Boca Juniors and African hopefuls Esperance.
Boca were held to a 1-1 draw by Auckland City, a result that, coupled with Benfica’s win over Bayern, saw them crash out.
Esperance were soundly beaten 3-0 by Chelsea in their final group game, confirming their exit. Other eliminated teams include FC Porto, Al Ain, Wydad AC, Atletico Madrid, Seattle Sounders, Al Ahly, Los Angeles FC, Auckland City, Pachuca, Ulsan HD, and Urawa Red Diamonds.
Confirmed Round of 16 Fixtures:
Saturday:
Benfica vs Chelsea
Palmeiras vs Botafogo
Sunday:
Paris Saint-Germain vs Inter Miami
Flamengo vs Bayern Munich
More Round of 16 fixtures are expected to be confirmed as the group stage concludes later today and tomorrow.
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