Club World Cup CHAOS: Chelsea STUNNED by Flamengo, Jackson Red Card Drama & LAFC Eliminated

Friday's Club World Cup action delivered absolute chaos! Chelsea suffered a stunning 3-1 defeat to Flamengo in one of the tournament's biggest upsets, featuring Nicolas Jackson's shocking red card just 3 minutes after coming on as a substitute. Bayern Munich maintained their perfect record with a 2-1 win over Boca Juniors, while LAFC's tournament dreams ended in heartbreak as Denis Bouanga missed a crucial stoppage-time penalty against Espérance de Tunis. Plus, we break down Benfica's hard-fought 6-0 victory over Auckland City and why Brazilian clubs are dominating this tournament. From goal difference battles to red card madness, Friday had it all at the FIFA Club World Cup 2025.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:03):
Calaruga Shark Media. Welcome back. I'm Jamie Rudd and what
a Friday we had in the FIFA Club World Cup.
We've got some absolutely wild results to break down, including
a massive upset Brazilian dominance, continuing heartbreak for MLS fans,
and some real drama in the goal difference battle. Let's

(00:24):
dive right into the action. We'll start with what many
considered the marquee matchup of the day, Biern Munich taking
on Argentine Giant's Boker Juniors and honestly, this one went
pretty much as expected, with Biern maintaining their perfect record
at the tournament with a two to one victory. Harry
Kane and Michael Olise were the goal scorers for the

(00:46):
Bundesliga champions sandwiching a truly spectacular equalizer from miguelma Entiel
for Boka. Now Bian absolutely dominated that first half. It
could have been three or four Niil at the break,
but credit to Bo Buoka, they came out with much
more intensity in the second half and made it a
proper contest. The thing is, and this has been the

(01:07):
story of this tournament so far, when you get to
these crucial moments the European sides just have that extra
bit of quality. Boka pushed hard, they created chances, but
Bian's class ultimately showed through. This result keeps Bien at
the top of their group with maximum points, while Boca
are still searching for their first win, sitting on just

(01:30):
one point. They're not out yet, but they're going to
need results to go their way. But the real story
of Friday has to be what happened in Group D.
Flamengo absolutely stunned Chelsea three to one, and I mean stunned.
This wasn't just an upset, This was a complete implosion
from Enzo Maresca's side in what can only be described

(01:51):
as six minutes of pure madness. Chelsea took the lead
early through Pedro Neto, a lovely finish after racing away
from deep in the Flamango h At that point you're thinking, Okay,
here we go, European quality showing through again. But football,
as we know, has a funny way of humbling you.
The second half is where it all went wrong for Chelsea.

(02:13):
Bruno Henrika equalized on sixty two minutes, then Danilo put
Flamengo ahead just three minutes later. The Brazilian crowd was
going absolutely mental. And then, and this is where it
gets truly bizarre, Nicholas Jackson completely lost his head. Jackson
had been on the pitch for exactly three minutes as

(02:33):
a substitute when he made what can only be described
as one of the most reckless challenges you'll ever see,
a high studs up lunge into Ayrton Lucas. That was
so bad, so blatantly dangerous, that even Chelsea didn't complain
about the red card. The referee didn't hesitate, straight red,
no questions asked. And remember this is the same Nicholas

(02:55):
Jackson who was sent off just over a month ago
in the Premier League for elbowing Newcastle's s Ven Botman.
The guy clearly hasn't learned his lesson and now he's
potentially cost his team their club World Cup campaign. Wallace
Yan wrapped up the scoring with a third in the
eighty third minute and suddenly Chelsea find themselves in a
real fight just to qualify for the last sixteen. Meanwhile,

(03:20):
Flamengo are sitting pretty at the top of Group D.
Speaking of teams in trouble, we have to talk about
what happened to LAFC against Tunisia's Esperance Da Tunis. This
was supposed to be MLS showing up on the global stage,
but instead it's turned into a complete nightmare for the
American side. LAFC are now officially eliminated from the Club

(03:42):
World Cup after falling one zero to Esperance at Nashville's
ja ODIs Park. They join Auckland City as the second
team knocked out of the tournament, and the manner of
their exit is just brutal. Here's the thing that makes
this so painful. LAFC had their lifeline right there in
front of them, deep into stoppage time. Var awarded them

(04:03):
a penalty, a chance to tie the game, keep their
hopes alive for at least one more match. And who
steps up Dennis Bowanga, the hero who got them to
this tournament in the first place with that extra time
winner against Club America. This was his moment. The French
winger had been in excellent form and if anyone was
going to be lafc's savior at this tournament, it was him.

(04:28):
But bachir Ben said Esperance's goalkeeper had other ideas. Despite
diving the wrong way initially, he managed to save Bowanga's
penalty with his outstretched legs. The look of devastation on
Bwanga's face said it all. That was lafc's tournament right there.
They're mathematically eliminated. Now, even if they beat Flamengo in

(04:49):
their final group game, they can only reach three points,
and with Flamengo already on six and either Chelsea or
Esperance guaranteed to add to their tallies, no way back.
It's a crushing end for an MLS side that earned
their spot through heroics, only to score zero goals in
their two defeats. Now, if you just looked at the
score line, you'd think Benfica had a comfortable evening against

(05:13):
Auckland City. Six nil sounds like a stroll in the park, right, Well,
you'd be wrong. This was anything but straightforward for the
Portuguese side. Auckland City, who got absolutely hammered ten nil
by Bayern Munich in their opener, showed tremendous character and
tactical improvement. They switched from their usual attacking four to

(05:33):
three to three to a defensive five to two three
and for the first half it worked brilliantly. Nathan Garrow,
their twenty year old goalkeeper was absolutely sensational. Benfica fired
eighteen shots at goal in the first half alone, and
Garrow saved seven of them. The kid was diving left,
right and center keeping his semi professional teammates in the

(05:56):
game against one of Europe's established clubs. Bruno Laga was
getting more and more frustrated on the sidelines. There was
even what looked like an argument between him and midfielder
Orcankocchew during a substitution. You could see the pressure building
because lager knew something crucial in their group. With Bayern
as overwhelming favorites, gold difference against Auckland could be the

(06:20):
deciding factor between Benfica and Boca Juniors for that second
qualification spot. Angel de Maria finally broke the deadlock from
the penalty spot in first half stoppage time, but then
something bizarre happened a two hour weather delay due to
thunderstorms and heavy rain. When they came back out, Auckland

(06:40):
actually looked dangerous for a moment, but reality eventually set in.
Vangelist Pavlidis doubled the lead early in the second half,
and once the floodgates opened, Benfica poured it on Renato
Sanchez Leandro Barrero with a quick double and another De
Maria penalty made its sick. But here's the tactical battle brewing.

(07:02):
Benfica and Boca drew their head to head match, so
if they finish level on points, it goes to goal difference.
Boca lost two to one to Bayan, while Benfica have
now won six zero against Auckland. That could be huge
come the final group standings. All of this brings us
to the bigger story emerging from this tournament. Brazilian clubs

(07:25):
are absolutely punching above their weight. Flamengo's victory over Chelsea
means that Brazil's four representatives Flamengo, Botafogo, Fluminense and Palmiras
have a combined record of five to two zero in
group stage play. Botafogo shocked Paris santjer Man earlier this week,
Palmyras beat al Ali to secure their knockout stage spot,

(07:48):
and now Flamengo have taken down Chelsea. While everyone was
talking about the European heavyweights before this tournament began, it's
the Brazilian sides who are making all the noise. There's
something to be said about the way these Brazilian teams
are approaching these games. They're not intimidated by the big names.
They're playing with freedom, and crucially, they're taking their chances

(08:10):
when they come. It's been one of the most compelling
storylines of the tournament so far. We'll take a break
for halftime and come back with a preview of Saturday's matches. Now,
let's look ahead to Saturday's Club World Cup action, where
Groups E and F take center stage with four compelling
matchups that could go a long way toward determining who

(08:32):
advances to the knockout stage. Saturday's slate kicks off at
noon Eastern in Cincinnati, where we have one of the
most intriguing matchups of the tournament so far, Mammelody Sundowns
versus Brussy Adortmund at TQL Stadium. This is a fascinating
clash between the South African champions and the German giants
that reached the Champions League Final just over a year ago.

(08:56):
Mammelody Sundowns come into this match with momentum after their
one nil victory over Ulsan Hyundai in their opener. The
South African side showed exactly why they're considered the strongest
team from the African continent, with discipline, defending and clinical
finishing when the opportunity arose. They've proven they belong on
this stage and won't be intimidated by facing one of

(09:18):
Europe's most storied clubs. Barusi Adortment meanwhile, were held to
a goalless draw by Fluminense in their opening match, which
has to be considered a disappointing result for a team
of their caliber. BVB dominated possession and created chances, but
they couldn't find that crucial breakthrough against the Brazilian defense.

(09:39):
They'll need to be much more clinical against Sundowns if
they want to avoid falling behind in Group F. This
is exactly the type of match that makes this expanded
Club World Cup format so compelling, a meeting between continental
champions that would never happen in normal circumstances. Sundowns will
look to use their pace and ca to attacking ability

(10:01):
to trouble Dortmund's defense, while the Germans will try to
impose their technical superiority and control the tempo. At three
pm Eastern, we head to Seattle for what could be
the most tactically fascinating match of the day. Into Milan
versus Urawa Red Diamonds at Lumen Field in to come
into this match after a somewhat surprising one all draw

(10:24):
with Monterey in their opener. The Italian giants dominated large
portions of that game, but couldn't convert their superiority into
three points for the first time in four seasons in
to have a new manager on the touch line after
Simone Inzagi departed for Saudi Arabia. We have yet to
see how the Nerazuri look under new gaffer, Christian Chivu,

(10:46):
which adds an element of uncertainty to their campaign. They're
clearly the most talented team in Group E, but tactical
adjustments and team chemistry under a new system could take time.
Diamonds suffered a heavy three to one defeat to River
Plate in their opener, but that result doesn't tell the

(11:06):
whole story. The Japanese side actually created several good chances
and showed flashes of the technical ability that made them
Asian champions. They'll need to be much more clinical and
defensively solid against a team of Inter's quality. The six
pm Eastern match takes us to MetLife Stadium in East
Rutherford for Fluminense versus Ulsan Hyundai. Both teams earned draws

(11:31):
in their opening matches, so this represents a crucial opportunity
to gain ground in Group F. FLUMINENSEY held Barussia Dortmund
to that goalless draw, which has to be considered a
positive result against such strong opposition. The Brazilian side showed
their defensive organization and ability to frustrate high quality opponents.

(11:52):
They'll look to use their home advantage, playing in front
of what's likely to be a heavily Brazilian crowd in
the New York area, to get their first win of
the tournament. Ulson Hyundai, the South Korean champions, fell one
nil to Mamelody Sundowns in their opener. Despite creating several
good chances. They showed they can compete at this level,

(12:13):
but need to improve their finishing in the final third.
This match against Flumenense represents a golden opportunity to get
points on the board before their final group game against Dortmund.
The nightcap at nine pm Eastern takes us to the
Rose Bowl in Pasadena for what promises to be the
most entertaining match of the day. River Plate versus Monterey.

(12:36):
Both teams know each other well from recent encounters with
River having more success in their head to head meetings.
River Plate made a statement in their opening match, routing
Urrawa Red Diamonds three to one in impressive fashion. The
Argentine powerhouse showed exactly why they're considered one of the
favorites from South America. This team has an incredible eighteen

(12:58):
straight games without a lot, and they're in the kind
of form that can carry teams to tournament success. Markos
Akunya had a pair of assists, while Sebastian Drusi, Collidio
and Masa all found the net for the Argentinians. This
was the eighth time in the last nine River Plate
games that both teams scored, which suggests we could be

(13:20):
in for a high scoring affair in Pasadena, Monterey. The
Mexican champions earned a credible one all draw with Inter
Milan in their opener thanks to a goal from veteran
defender Sergio Ramos. That result showed they can compete with
top European opposition, but they'll need to step up their
game against a River Plate side that's firing on all cylinders.

(13:43):
The tactical battle will be fascinating, Rivers attacking flare and
pace against Monterey's defensive solidity and set piece threat. Both
teams have experience in Conkercaff competitions and know how to
handle high pressure situations. E looks like it could come
down to gold difference, with Inter Milan still the favorites

(14:04):
to top the group despite their slow start. River Plate's
emphatic victory over Rawa puts them in an excellent position,
while Monterey's draw with Inter keeps them very much in contention.
Group F is even more wide open, with all four
teams still believing they can advance. Mammelodi Sundown's victory gives

(14:25):
them the early advantage, but Dortmund's quality means they're dangerous
to any opponent on their day. The winner of the
Sundown's Dortmund match will take a huge step toward the
knockout stage. I'm Jamie Rudd and I'll be back in
the morning.