Half-time reading
Published: 2025-06-29 22:03:12 | Views: 11
Key events
Half-time reading
Flamengo were Bayern’s equals for 99 per cent of the first half and scored the best of the four goals when Gerson’s howitzer beat Manuel Neuer. Alas, the 1 per cent involved the concession of three eminently avoidable goals. As a result, Flamengo need a comeback for the ages.
45+7 min Flamengo’s tempo has dropped since Goretzka’s goal; they look a bit flat and in need of the half-time break.
45+4 min “He’d deny it, of course, but i wouldn’t be surprised if Neuer was secretly relieved that Gerson’s shot was above his head giving him little chance to save it,” writes David Wall. “Had it been half a metre lower the goalkeeper might have stopped it but he’d have known even less about it than he did as it screamed over his head. At least this way he’ll know something about the rest of the game instead.”
Ha, quite. I can feel a list piece coming on. The Joy of Six: goalkeepers saving with their face.
45+2 min Allan’s first action is a pointless late shove on Kimmich, for which he is booked.
45+1 min: Flamengo substitution Yep, Allan replaces Erick Pulgar, who had game to forget. He gave Bayern the lead with an own goal, then injured himself with a nasty foul on Harry Kane.
Allan was on Liverpool’s books between 2015 and 2020, though I’m not sure he played for the first team.
In other news, there will be eight minutes of added time.
45 min Kane is okay but Pulgar may have injured himself with that foul.
43 min: It’s kicking off! Kane stays down, clearly in pain, after a nasty, gratuitous hack from Pulgar. Tah leads the Bayern complaints, then pushes Plata to spark a brief bit of aggro.
Pulgar is booked – he could have been sent off – while Tah and Plata are also given yellow cards for their shoving match.
Leon Goretzka’s mood has just improved. The goal came from another poor clearance or pass out of defence by Flamengo. Goretzka jumped to control the ball on the chest, gave the keeper the eyes and swept a shot into the net from 25 yards. It was nowhere near the corner but Rossi’s weight was going the wrong way and he didn’t even dive.
40 min Olise’s cross is headed over Upamecano, who couldn’t get over the ball and keep the header down.
39 min Goretzka stomps off in a huff after being penalised for pulling back Gerson. Bayern suddenly look a bit rattled.
37 min There’s a big scramble in the Flamengo area before Wesley clears. Bayern’s instant, aggressive response to that goal suggests they were guilty of phoning it in at 2-0, certainly in attack.
35 min This game, and the largely pro-Flamengo crowd, have really come to life.
What a spectacular finish. A low cross from the left was touched off/miscontrolled towards Gerson, arriving late on the edge of the area. He charged onto the ball and scorched a rising drive past Neuer with his left foot.
Pick that out!
32 min Luis Araujo volleys wide on the stretch, an awkward chance that he had to take at armpit height while be challenge.
Even so, Flamengo must be cursing their wretched start because it’s been even game in the last 20 minutes.
30 min Play resumes after a break of around five minutes.
28 min There’s an additional delay because of a problem with the referee Michael Oliver’s walkie-talkie. And why not.
25 min Laimer shoots wide from distance at the other end. Time for the official Cooling Break, sponsored by Nessun Dorma.
23 min Leo Pereira moves forward from the back and tries his luck from 25 yards. Not the worst effort, but not on target either.
20 min Flamengo has responded well to the shock of those two early goals. Gerson makes a good run in behind the Bayern defence, forcing Tah to concede a corner.
16 min Flamengo appeal for a penalty when a corner is headed on and hits the arm of Kane. Replays show Kane’s arm was tight to chest, so that’s the end of that.
When Neuer made that earlier save, Kimmich growled in celebration and started pumping his fists. Fair to say this competition matters to those involved.
15 min Flamengo’s first big chance. Wesley’s mishit cross reaches De Arrascaeta, who threads an extremely dangerous ball across the face of the six-yard box. It eventually reaches Araujo, whose fierce first-time shot draws an outstanding reflex save from Neuer.
13 min “Bit of pressing and loose passes and Flamengo are done,” says Tim Stappard. “Not very impressive. Had high hopes of a game.”
11 min Flamengo came from behind to beat Chelsea so memorably in the group stage. But on that occasion they were 1-0 down at half-time, not two down inside the first 10 minutes.
Upamecano won the ball high up the field with a beautifully judged tackle. Kane collected the loose ball, 25 yards out, and thrashed a left-foot shot that flew past Rossi, hit the inside of the near post and rebounded into the net.
Ah, the replays shows there was a not insignificant deflection off Ortiz, so it wasn’t the brilliant goal it seemed at first glance. As if Kane will care: his original shot was on target so that’s his 40th goal of the season.
Harry Kane doubles Bayern’s lead with a fabulous goal!
7 min Flamengo almost respond straight away, with De Arrascaeta heading over after excellent work on the right by Plata. A tough chance.
I’d like to see the goal again and it looked like Pulgar was eased towards the ball while in mid air. There was no suggestion of a VAR check so presumably if there was contact, it was minimal.
Still not sure about the award of the corner, mind.
Bayern take the lead from a corner that probably shouldn’t have been given. Kimmich curled another dangerous ball into a crowded six-yard box; where it brushed the head of the stretching Pulgar and drifted into the far corner.
5 min Kimmich’s corner is punched behind for another by Rossi. Actually, the replay suggests it went behind off a Bayern head but a corner has been given.
4 min Now it’s Rossi’s turn to betray his nerves with a hideous pass that is intercepted. Kimmich has a pop from 25 yards; it deflects behind for another Bayern corner.
3 min Wesley, Flamengo’s right-back, has made a nervous start. He loses the ball to Coman in a dangerous area and is relieved to see one of his teammates, possibly Leo Ortiz, get him out of trouble with a good tackle.
3 min Bayern win a very early corner on the left. Kimmich swings it under the crossbar and Rossi backpedals smartly to palm the ball away. It hits a stray balloon and the referee decides to stop play.
1 min And they’re off. Flamengo are wearing their home strip, the red-and-black classic, with Bayern in their white change strip.
The players are starting to come onto the field. There’s a particularly loud cheer from the Flamengo fans for Jorginho, who joined from Arsenal at the end of the Premier League season.
The Brazilian teams have breathed life (and soul) into the Club World Cup. Palmeiras are already in the quarter-finals; Flamengo and Fluminense, who meet Inter Milan tomorrow, are hoping to join them.
Flamengo (possible 4-2-3-1) Rossi; Wesley, Ortiz, Pereira, Alex Sandro; Pulgar, Jorginho; Gerson, De Arrascaeta, Araujo; Plata.
Substitutes: Matheus Cunha, Danilo, Varela, Ayrton Lucas, Vina, Victor, Allan, de la Cruz, Gustavo Fernandes, Everton, Bruno Henrique, Juninho, Pedro, Michael, Wallace.
Bayern Munich (possible 4-2-3-1) Neuer; Laimer, Tah, Upamecano, Stanisic; Kimmich, Goretzka; Olise, Gnabry, Coman; Kane.
Substitutes: Peretz, Urbig, Guerreiro, Kim, Boey, Aznou, Kiala, Joao Palhinha, Musiala, Bischof, Pavlovic, Karl, Daiber, Muller, Sane.
Referee Michael Oliver (England)
Hello and welcome to live coverage of Flamengo v Bayern Munich in Miami Gardens. When the Club World Cup draw was made, these two looked set to meet in the last 16 – but it was supposed to be Bayern who topped their group, not Flamengo.
We should have known, based on the simple face that tournament wallcharts never, ever, ever play out as expected. Flamengo’s 3-1 win over Chelsea ultimately earned them top spot in Group D, while Bayern – who had already qualified for the knockout stage – slipped to second after losing their final Group C game against Benfica.
Tonight’s winners will face Paris Saint-Germain, who plugged Inter Miami 4-0 earlier today.
Kick off 9pm GMT, 4pm in Miami.