The match between Boca Juniors and Auckland City, part of the final round in Group C of the Club World Cup, had to be temporarily suspended due to severe weather. A strong electrical storm near Geodis Park in Nashville forced organizers to pause the game with much still to be decided on the pitch. The interruption came as an unexpected break for the Argentine side, who are on the brink of elimination and rely on a combination of results to move on.

A tough road to qualification and a tense game

Before the suspension, Boca Juniors were leading 1–0 thanks to an own goal by goalkeeper Nathan Garrow in the 36th minute. The Auckland City shot-stopper had no luck as he deflected the ball into his own net. However, the joy didn’t last long for coach Martínez’s side, as Jerson Lagos equalized for the New Zealanders, complicating things further for Boca.

The match saw Boca create several clear chances, but their lack of finishing continued to hurt them. With the score level and other results not going in their favor, the Argentine team finds itself in a difficult spot.

Meanwhile, Benfica went into halftime leading Bayern Munich 1–0 thanks to a 13th-minute goal by Andreas Schjelderup. That result temporarily places the Portuguese side in second place, knocking Boca Juniors down to third in the group and out of the Round of 16 — at least for now.

Boca needs a miracle

To reach the next round, Boca Juniors must beat Auckland City by a large margin and hope that Bayern Munich stages a comeback against Benfica in the second half. It's a complicated scenario that depends both on Boca’s performance and on the commitment of the already-qualified German side.

The storm delay may have given Boca a much-needed breather to regroup, but the clock and the scoreboard remain against them. What once seemed manageable has turned into a battle against time, weather, and mathematics.