Auckland City and Boca Juniors played to a 1-1 draw after the Club World Cup Group C match was halted during the second half due to adverse weather conditions on Tuesday afternoon.
The heat index hit 105 degrees in sweaty Nashville with heavy rain and thunderstorms approaching the area when the match was paused.
The significance of the outcome of the match was muted not long after the delay when Benfica topped Bayern Munich 1-0 in Charlotte to overtake the top spot in Group C. Boca (0-1-2, 2 points) finished third in group play, while Auckland City (0-2-1, 1 point) notched their first goal of the tournament but ended with a minus-16 goal differential.
Auckland City veteran defender Christian Gray tied the match at 1-all after halftime, leaning into a header on a cross from Jerson Lagos. Gray, 28, circled free of traffic and connected with the ball near the center of the goal. He directed it past a diving save attempt by goalkeeper Agustin Marchesin to the right corner at the 52nd minute.
Defender Lautaro Di Lollo gave Boca the lead in the 26th minute, cashing a header into the left post and into Auckland City goalkeeper Nathan Garrow for an own goal.
Di Lollo found a gap in traffic with a close-range header on a corner kick that ricocheted off the left upright and into a late-reacting Garrow, skipping into the net for the 1-0 advantage.
Prior to the delay, sprinklers were activated on the field as the heat index spiked and reserves on either bench were seeking shelter.
Di Lollo said Monday before the match Boca Juniors would take the mindset of winning and “waiting for Bayern to do their thing” in the final match of the group round against Benfica. Bayern sealed a spot in the quarterfinals with a 2-1 win over Boca that followed a 10-0 thrashing of Auckland City.
Benfica and Boca played to a 2-2 draw on June 16. Benfica eliminated Auckland from contention in the knockout round on Friday in Orlando.
–Field Level Media
