Boca Juniors, Benfica draw 2-2 in Club World Cup match that includes 3 red cards, 22 fouls

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Benfica overcame a two-goal deficit, getting Ángel Di María's penalty kick in first-half stoppage time and Nicolás Otamendi's 84th-minute goal for a 2-2 draw against Boca Juniors on Monday night in a heated Club World Cup match that included three red cards, four yellows and 22 fouls.

Boca Juniors played in a home-like environment with the Argentine club's supporters making up most of the 55,574 crowd at Hard Rock Stadium against one of Portugal's premier teams. Both teams finished a man down and one Boca player was sent off after he was substituted from the match due to injury.

Heavily armed police were present at checkpoints to ensure order for a Boca supporters' group that is extremely fierce and passionate. But, most of the rough action was on the field, not in the stands, as the game included red cards for Boca's Ander Herrera in the 44th, Benfica's Andrea Belotti in the 72nd and Boca's Nicolás Figal in the 88th.

Boca built its lead on goals by Miguel Merentiel in the 21st minute and Rodrigo Battaglia in the 27th.

Referee César Ramos awarded the penalty after a video review for Carlos Palacios' kneeing Otamendi. Herrera, who was taken out after 20 minutes, got a red card for protesting the decision.

Belotti was sent off for a foul when a high kick caught Ayrton Costa on the back of the head and Figal for knocking over Florentino.

Otamendi's front post header helped Benfica salvage a point.

Boca Juniors, after underperforming last season in the Argentina first division and disappointing in the Copa Libertadores, used the support of their fans to fuel them and earn a point in group play. Their second match, against Bayern Munich in Miami on Friday night, will prove to be a more challenging game.

Benfica, which was imprecise in its play and gave the ball away many times unprovoked, will play Friday as well and take on the only semi-professional team in the Club World Cup, Auckland City, which was badly beaten by Bayern.

“This was a game where there's two really big teams and they're gonna leave it all out there on every ball.” — Alan Velasco, Boca Juniors midfielder.

“It will be a new experience (playing against Auckland City FC), of course we saw the result against Bayern and we will have to do the same.” — Samuel Dahl, Benfica defender.

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Soccer fans attend the Club World Cup group C soccer match between Boca Juniors and Benfica in Miami Gardens, Fla., Monday, June 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Law enforcement personnel stand outside the stadium prior to the Club World Cup group C soccer match between Boca Juniors and Benfica in Miami Gardens, Fla., Monday, June 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Boca Juniors' Agustin Marchesin (25) fails to stop Benfica's Nicolas Otamendi from scoring his side's second goal during the Club World Cup group C soccer match between Boca Juniors and Benfica in Miami Gardens, Fla., Monday, June 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Boca Juniors' Agustin Marchesin (25) talks to Benfica manager Bruno Lage, center right, at the end of the Club World Cup group C soccer match between Boca Juniors and Benfica in Miami Gardens, Fla., Monday, June 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Benfica's Renato Sanches, left, and Boca Juniors' Alan Velasco confront each other during the Club World Cup group C soccer match between Boca Juniors and Benfica in Miami Gardens, Fla., Monday, June 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

ALEPPO, Syria (AP) — First responders on Sunday entered a contested neighborhood in Syria’ s northern city of Aleppo after days of deadly clashes between government forces and Kurdish-led forces. Syrian state media said the military was deployed in large numbers.

The clashes broke out Tuesday in the predominantly Kurdish neighborhoods of Sheikh Maqsoud, Achrafieh and Bani Zaid after the government and the Syrian Democratic Forces, the main Kurdish-led force in the country, failed to make progress on how to merge the SDF into the national army. Security forces captured Achrafieh and Bani Zaid.

The fighting between the two sides was the most intense since the fall of then-President Bashar Assad to insurgents in December 2024. At least 23 people were killed in five days of clashes and more than 140,000 were displaced amid shelling and drone strikes.

The U.S.-backed SDF, which have played a key role in combating the Islamic State group in large swaths of eastern Syria, are the largest force yet to be absorbed into Syria's national army. Some of the factions that make up the army, however, were previously Turkish-backed insurgent groups that have a long history of clashing with Kurdish forces.

The Kurdish fighters have now evacuated from the Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood to northeastern Syria, which is under the control of the SDF. However, they said in a statement they will continue to fight now that the wounded and civilians have been evacuated, in what they called a “partial ceasefire.”

The neighborhood appeared calm Sunday. The United Nations said it was trying to dispatch more convoys to the neighborhoods with food, fuel, blankets and other urgent supplies.

Government security forces brought journalists to tour the devastated area, showing them the damaged Khalid al-Fajer Hospital and a military position belonging to the SDF’s security forces that government forces had targeted.

The SDF statement accused the government of targeting the hospital “dozens of times” before patients were evacuated. Damascus accused the Kurdish-led group of using the hospital and other civilian facilities as military positions.

On one street, Syrian Red Crescent first responders spoke to a resident surrounded by charred cars and badly damaged residential buildings.

Some residents told The Associated Press that SDF forces did not allow their cars through checkpoints to leave.

“We lived a night of horror. I still cannot believe that I am right here standing on my own two feet,” said Ahmad Shaikho. “So far the situation has been calm. There hasn’t been any gunfire.”

Syrian Civil Defense first responders have been disarming improvised mines that they say were left by the Kurdish forces as booby traps.

Residents who fled are not being allowed back into the neighborhood until all the mines are cleared. Some were reminded of the displacement during Syria’s long civil war.

“I want to go back to my home, I beg you,” said Hoda Alnasiri.

Associated Press journalist Kareem Chehayeb in Beirut contributed to this report.

Sandbag barriers used as fighting positions by Kurdish fighters, left inside a destroyed mosque in the Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood, where clashes between government forces and Kurdish fighters have been taking place in the northern city of Aleppo, Syria, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)

Burned vehicles at one of the Kurdish fighters positions at the Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood, where clashes between government forces and Kurdish fighters have been taking place in the northern city of Aleppo, Syria, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)

People flee the Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood, where clashes between government forces and Kurdish fighters have been taking place in the northern city of Aleppo, Syria, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)

A Syrian military police convoy enters the Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood, where clashes between government forces and Kurdish fighters have been taking place in the northern city of Aleppo, Syria, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)

Burned vehicles and ammunitions left at one of the Kurdish fighters positions at the Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood, where clashes between government forces and Kurdish fighters have been taking place in the northern city of Aleppo, Syria, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)