Portuguese side Benfica defeated Bayern Munich 1-0 on Tuesday night to finish first in Group C at the FIFA Club World Cup and qualify for the Round of 16.
The match, played at the Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, saw Benfica take an early lead through Norwegian winger Andreas Schjelderup. His goal in the 13th minute came after Frederik Aursnes set him up with a low cross inside the box.
It was the first time Bayern Munich had ever lost to Benfica in a competitive match. However, the German champions had already secured qualification to the next round, and head coach Vincent Kompany made seven changes to his starting lineup.
Benfica needed at least a draw to move forward, while also hoping Boca Juniors wouldn’t win big against Auckland City in the other group game.
In the second half, Kompany introduced stars like Harry Kane, Joshua Kimmich, and Michael Olise to try and level the match. Bayern pushed hard, but Benfica’s goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin was outstanding, stopping several shots from Leroy Sane, Thomas Muller, and Kane.
Bayern thought they had equalized when Kimmich scored, but the goal was ruled out because Kane was offside and blocking the goalkeeper’s view.
Benfica held on to the narrow lead and will now face the runner-up of Group D, either Chelsea or Tunisia’s Esperance, in the knockout stage.
Bayern, who finished second in the group, will play Brazil’s Flamengo in the next round.
