Latest news with #Kompany
Miami Herald
15 hours ago
- Sport
- Miami Herald
Bayern Munich ready to face another South American power in Miami in Club World Cup
Bayern Munich doesn't lose very often. They don't finish second very often either. But one loss last week is all it took for Bayern Munich to go from Group winner to Group runner-up in this year's FIFA Club World Cup. Germany's premier soccer club made it past the group stage, but knows it must regroup quickly as the consequence of its 1-0 loss to Benfica last week was a date with Brazil's top club, Flamengo, in a Round of 16 contest Sunday afternoon at 4 at Hard Rock Stadium. The tournament has continually drawn large, near-capacity crowds and figures to do so again as two of the club's with the most supporters on the planet battle for a spot in the quarterfinals. While Bayern Munich, a 34-time champion of the German Bundesliga, has the reputation for being one of the world's strongest clubs, Flamengo has proven it can hold its own with the world's best in terms of talent and fans. Entering this decade, Flamengo's YouTube channel surpassed over 5 million subscriptions and it is estimated to have had over 40 million fans, a number that has grown even more in recent years. Flamengo has made those legions happy often as an eight-time champion of Brazil's top league. Flamengo has lived up to the hype in this year's Club World Cup, winning Group D after impressive victories over Chelsea and Esperance Sportive de Tunis and a draw after the Brazilian side had already clinched advancement to the knockout stage. Bayern Munich witnessed firsthand the potential atmosphere it could face Sunday on June 20 when it defeated Boca Juniors 2-1 in front of a sellout crowd of 63,587, many of which were supporting the Argentine powerhouse. So, as recently-hired Bayern Munich manager Vincent Kompany faces some criticism for some of his lineup choices in the loss to Benfica, he is wary not to underestimate his club's foe in an all-or-nothing matchup. 'Brazilian teams represent a great blend of individual and collective qualities,' Kompany recently told ESPN. 'They may have some tactical gaps, but they are incredibly creative and can always find unconventional solutions on the pitch. We knew from the start that we would face a group with Flamengo and Chelsea in the playoffs. Frankly, I don't see a significant difference in the level of these teams; for us, nothing changes – it doesn't matter who we play against; what's important is to play our usual football.' The loss to Benfica was Bayern Munich's first since April 8 when it lost the first leg of the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals against Inter Milan. Bayern Munich has scored 12 goals so far in the Club World Cup, but 10 of those came in a 10-0 drubbing of Auckland City, a New Zealand club made up mostly of amateur players. Since that win, Bayern Munich has found the back of the net only twice in two games. Kompany, who also recently praised the field quality at Hard Rock Stadium recently, subbed out seven starters from the prior game against Boca in the loss to Benfica. Stars like Harry Kane and Michael Olise entered the game in the second half and improved the side's level of play, but not enough to squeak out a result and perhaps help them win the group. On the flip side, Flamengo is also well-aware of the challenge and opportunity in front of it. Flamengo delivered a memorable performance in its 3-1 win over Chelsea, which clinched its advancement to the Round of 16. Goals by Bruno Henrique, Danilo and Wallace Yan in a 21-minute span in the second half quickly turned a 1-0 deficit into one of Flamengo's biggest wins in recent memory. Flamengo coach Filipe Luis feels his team respects Bayern Munich, but is confident it can obtain another major victory against one of Europe's best. 'Bayern is a colossus, a European giant,' Luis told reporters recently in Portuguese. 'Absolutely dominant team in its games, in its national championship, and with an extraordinary squad. 'It's just that in one game anything can happen. They will try to play their game and impose their rhythm and we will certainly have our chance to do the same thing, and in the end may the best one win.'
DW
2 days ago
- Climate
- DW
Club World Cup: Football players and fans languish in heat – DW – 06/25/2025
Slow-paced soccer matches, sweltering players and complaints about the heat have been the themes of the Club World Cup. Organizers FIFA say they take reasonable precautions but many see a major safety concern. FIFA is "not taking the dangers of extreme heat seriously enough" and is on course for a "perfect storm" of unsafe conditions at major events like the 2026 World Cup, according to Peter Crisp from environmental advocacy group Fossil Free Football. Speaking after Bayern Munich lost to Benfica in temperatures of 36 degrees Celsius (97 Fahrenheit) at the Club World Cup in the US city of Charlotte on Tuesday, Crisp told DW that such an outcome, which has become commonplace in recent days at the Club World Cup, should have been entirely predictable to football's global governors. "This was a very obvious risk. It only took a brief look at the previous weather records from the cities involved to show that dangerous heat was absolutely going to impact this tournament, and so it's proved," he said. Bayern coach Vincent Kompany referred to the "tough conditions" in his post-match press briefings, adding that one positive of the loss, which still saw Bayern progress, is that "we don't need to play in Charlotte anymore." Unfortunately, for the German champions, the issues are not confined to one city, with a climate phenomenon known as the "heat dome" seeing record-high temperatures recorded across the east of the USA. On Saturday, in Cincinnati, it was Borussia Dortmund who struggled to cope with the 32-degree heat. Pictures of their substitutes sat away from the pitch in an air conditioned locker room seemed to strike a chord with players, clubs and fans. Dortmund coach Niko Kovac said he was "sweating like I've just come out of a sauna" at the match and that it was "tough going for both teams" while acknowledging South African opponents Mamelodi Sundowns were more accustomed to such conditions. Kompany added that the conditions made it impossible for the players to play at their maximum. "I was a little apprehensive regarding the heat and the pitch. I wasn't worried we wouldn't win, I was more concerned with the flow of the game," said Kompany. The pace of games at the tournament has generally been slow, with players attempting to conserve energy, a criticism that has been increasingly leveled at World Cups in recent years. In a statement sent to DW, FIFA said it put the health of anyone involved first and worked with clubs and local health authorities to combat any dangers. "FIFA is implementing a sound preventative concept at all venues, including cooling breaks in the 30th and 75th minutes in accordance with the relevant protocols," the statement read, while adding that fans may bring reusable plastic bottles into stadiums. "From a broader player welfare perspective, besides having the right to make a maximum of five substitutions, teams can make an additional substitution if a match goes into extra time (regardless of whether the team has used its maximum number of substitutes or not), as well as a concussion substitution. Additionally, all teams have a minimum of three rest days between matches to facilitaterecovery." Many in football, including big-name players, coaches and the global players union, FIFPRO, believe three rest days is not enough for players who, thanks to the introduction of the Club World Cup in what is usually a rest period in the calendar for most teams, are being asked to play and travel more than ever before. Indeed, FIFPRO have started legal proceedings against FIFA, partly on the basis that: "the oversaturated international football calendar risks player safety and wellbeing." Crisp sees changes to scheduling as an easy first step, questioning the logic of playing games at midday when at the Copa America last June an assistant referee collapsed due to the heat during a daytime game in Kansas City. Larger changes to the calendar may well have to follow. "I think FIFA needs to think seriously about revising the protocol to shift kickoff times to safer periods of the day if that's needed. When we saw the forecast for Bayern Munich against Benfica, we could see a week in advance that it was going to be really dangerous temperatures," he said. "But unfortunately, in a rapidly heating world, those kinds of small adaption measures are really just going to be playing around the edges." Despite being asked the question directly, FIFA did not reference what the scenes at the Club World Cup would mean for its future tournaments. Sixteen cities are to host World Cup games in the USA, Canada and Mexico in 2026. However, only five of the stadiums that will be used have roofs to provide some sun protection in a tournament set to be played at a similar time of year. "I think 2026 is almost a perfect storm where FIFA has decided to massively expand the competition, pushing it to 104 matches, which means that it's extremely likely that many of those matches are going to intersect with periods of dangerous weather, Crisp said. "Expanding the competition so heavily obviously also massively increases the amount of flying that's needed as millions of fans join their teams and travel around the whole of North America." The next two men's World Cups are due to be played in Spain, Portugal and Morocco (2030) and then Saudi Arabia (2034). Both of these countries can reasonably be expected to be under similarly hot conditions at the relevant times. The impacts on the environment, the safety of players and the quality of the games are clear to many at the Club World Cup, but FIFA boss Gianni Infantino appears happy enough with their new competition. "Those who are not there, of course, they would love to be there. So, maybe some criticize it a little bit, but it's something new, it's something special, it's something big. It is a real World Cup with the best teams and the best players," he said on Sunday.
Sharjah 24
2 days ago
- Sport
- Sharjah 24
Benfica beat Bayern to top group C
Bayern, who had never lost to Benfica in a competitive game before, finish second in the group and will face Brazil's Flamengo in the last 16. Benfica will face the runner-up in Group D which will be Chelsea or Esperance. With Bayern already sure of their place in the knockout stage, their coach Vincent Kompany made seven changes to his starting line-up and it showed in a sloppy first half display. Only goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, defender Josip Stanisic, left-back Raphael Guerreiro and winger Serge Gnabry were kept from the team which beat Boca in the previous fixture. Benfica needed a win or a draw to join Bayern in the next round and eliminate Boca Juniors, who were playing Auckland. The Lisbon side began brightly and Neuer was brought into action early to save a Renato Sanches effort from the edge of the box. Benfica grabbed the lead in the 13th minute when Frederik Aursnes got to the byline and pulled the ball back. Norwegian winger Andreas Schjelderup met it with a first time effort which he buried into the bottom corner. The game was played in intense heat which had an impact on the tempo of the game, with both teams playing at a slow pace and conserving energy. Bayern had one opportunity before the break when Gnabry pulled the ball back to Leroy Sane, but the former Manchester City winger fired high over the bar. Kompany, who knew his side risked losing top spot in the group, had seen enough from his back-up players and made a triple substitution at the break bringing on Harry Kane, Michael Olise and Joshua Kimmich. Suddenly, Bayern looked dangerous -- a long ball over to the top from Kimmich found Sane but with only the goalkeeper to beat he shot straight at Ukrainian Anatoliy Trubin. Trubin was in inspired form and kept out a dangerous effort from Thomas Muller but Benfica offered a reminder of their threat on the break when Kerem Akturkoglu beat Dayot Upamecano but could not get past Neuer. Kimmich had the ball in the net with a low drive from the edge of the box but Kane was in an offside position in the goalkeeper's line of vision and the effort was ruled out. Bayern pushed forward in search of a goal that could have sent them back to top of the group but Trubin was out fast again to deny Sane and deep in stoppage time Kane mistimed a header from close range. "I think this was a very fair and important win, historic really," said Benfica head coach Bruno Lage, who said few in the media had believed his team could beat Bayern. "We were as straightforward and assertive as we should be and I think we were very effective in delivering our strategy today," he added. Bayern boss Kompany said both teams deserved credit for the way they handled the heat. "You could see that it was really tough conditions so respect to both teams for that. Our first half was not good enough for sure, the second half was definately more the level that we expected and good enough to score one or two or three goals," he said.
DW
3 days ago
- Climate
- DW
Club World Cup: Extreme heat poses questions for FIFA – DW – 06/25/2025
Slow-paced matches, sweltering players and complaints about the heat have been the themes of the Club World Cup in the USA. Organizers FIFA say they take reasonable precautions but many see a major safety concern. FIFA are "not taking the dangers of extreme heat seriously enough" and are on course for a "perfect storm" of unsafe conditions at major events like the 2026 World Cup, according to Peter Crisp from environmental advocacy group Fossil Free Football. Speaking after Bayern Munich lost to Benfica in temperatures of 36 degree Celsius (97 Fahrenheit), at the Club World Cup in Charlotte on Tuesday, Crisp told DW that such an outcome, which has become commonplace in recent days at the Club World Cup, should have been entirely predictable to football's global governors. "This was a very obvious risk. It only took a brief look at the previous weather records from the cities involved to show that dangerous heat was absolutely going to impact this tournament, and so it's proved," he said. Bayern coach Vincent Kompany referred to the "tough conditions" in his post-match press briefings, adding that one positive of the loss, which still saw Bayern progress, is that "we don't need to play in Charlotte anymore." Unfortunately, for the German champions, the issues are not confined to one city, with a climate phenomenon known as the "heat dome" seeing record-high temperatures recorded across the east of the USA. On Saturday, in Cincinnati, it was Borussia Dortmund who struggled to cope with the 32-degree heat. Pictures of their substitutes sat away from the pitch in an air conditioned locker room seemed to strike a chord with players, clubs and fans. Dortmund coach Niko Kovac said he was "sweating like I've just come out of a sauna" at the match and that it was "tough going for both teams" while acknowledging South African opponents Mamelodi Sundowns were more accustomed to such conditions. Kompany added that the conditions made it impossible for the players to play at their maximum. "I was a little apprehensive regarding the heat and the pitch. I wasn't worried we wouldn't win, I was more concerned with the flow of the game," said Kompany. The pace of games at the tournament has generally been slow, with players attempting to conserve energy, a criticism that has been increasingly leveled at World Cups in recent years. In a statement sent to DW, FIFA said it put the health of anyone involved first and said it worked with both clubs and local health authorities to combat any dangers. "FIFA is implementing a sound preventative concept at all venues, including cooling breaks in the 30th and 75th minutes in accordance with the relevant protocols," the statement read, while adding that fans may bring reusable plastic bottles in to stadiums. "From a broader player welfare perspective, besides having the right to make a maximum of five substitutions, teams can make an additional substitution if a match goes into extra time (regardless of whether the team has used its maximum number of substitutes or not), as well as a concussion substitution. Additionally, all teams have a minimum of three rest days between matches to facilitaterecovery." Many in football, including big name players, coaches and the global players union, FIFPRO, believe three rest days is not enough for players who, thanks to the introduction of the Club World Cup in what is usually a rest period in the calendar for most teams, are being asked to play and travel more than ever before. Indeed, FIFPRO have started legal proceedings against FIFA, partly on the basis that: "the oversaturated international football calendar risks player safety and wellbeing." Crisp sees changes to scheduling as an easy first step, questioning the logic of playing games at midday when at the Copa America last June an assistant referee collapsed due to the heat during a daytime game in Kansas City. Larger changes to the calendar may well have to follow. "I think FIFA need to think seriously about revising the protocol to shift kick-off times to safer periods of the day if that's needed. When we saw the forecast for Bayern Munich against Benfica, we could see a week in advance that it was going to be really dangerous temperatures," he said. "But unfortunately, in a rapidly heating world, those kind of small adaption measures are really just going to be playing around the edges." Despite being asked the question directly, FIFA did not reference what the scenes at the Club World Cup would mean for its future tournaments. Sixteen cities are to host World Cup games in the USA, Canada and Mexico in 2026. But only five of the stadiums that will be used have roofs to provide some sun protection in a tournament set to be played at a similar time of year. "I think 2026 is almost a perfect storm where FIFA have decided to massively expand the competition, pushing it to 104 matches, which means that it's extremely likely that many of those matches are going to intersect with periods of dangerous weather, Crisp said. "Expanding the competition so heavily obviously also massively increases the amount of flying that's needed as millions of fans join their teams and travel around the whole of North America." The next two men's World Cups are due to be played in Spain, Portugal and Morocco (2030) and then Saudi Arabia (2034). Both of these countries can reasonably be expected to be under similarly hot conditions at the relevant times. The impacts on the environment, the safety of players and the quality of the games are clear to many at the Club World Cup, but FIFA boss Gianni Infantino appears happy enough with their new competition. "Those who are not there, of course, they would love to be there. So, maybe, some criticize it a little bit, but it's something new, it's something special, it's something big. It is a real World Cup with the best teams and the best players," he said on Sunday.
New Straits Times
3 days ago
- Sport
- New Straits Times
Benfica beat Bayern to top group C
CHARLOTTE: Portugal's Benfica beat German champions Bayern Munich 1-0 on Tuesday to book their place in the last 16 of the Club World Cup and finish top of Group C. Bayern, who had never lost to Benfica in a competitive game before, finish second in the group and will face Brazil's Flamengo in the last 16. Benfica will face the runner-up in Group D which will be Chelsea or Esperance. With Bayern already sure of their place in the knockout stage, their coach Vincent Kompany made seven changes to his starting line-up and it showed in a sloppy first half display. Only goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, defender Josip Stanisic, left-back Raphael Guerreiro and winger Serge Gnabry were kept from the team which beat Boca in the previous fixture. Benfica needed a win or a draw to join Bayern in the next round and eliminate Boca Juniors, who were playing Auckland. The Lisbon side began brightly and Neuer was brought into action early to save a Renato Sanches effort from the edge of the box. Benfica grabbed the lead in the 13th minute when Frederik Aursnes got to the byline and pulled the ball back. Norwegian winger Andreas Schjelderup met it with a first time effort which he buried into the bottom corner. The game was played in intense heat which had an impact on the tempo of the game, with both teams playing at a slow pace and conserving energy. Bayern had one opportunity before the break when Gnabry pulled the ball back to Leroy Sane, but the former Manchester City winger fired high over the bar. Kompany, who knew his side risked losing top spot in the group, had seen enough from his back-up players and made a triple substitution at the break bringing on Harry Kane, Michael Olise and Joshua Kimmich. Suddenly, Bayern looked dangerous – a long ball over to the top from Kimmich found Sane but with only the goalkeeper to beat he shot straight at Ukrainian Anatoliy Trubin. Trubin was in inspired form and kept out a dangerous effort from Thomas Muller but Benfica offered a reminder of their threat on the break when Kerem Akturkoglu beat Dayot Upamecano but could not get past Neuer. Kimmich had the ball in the net with a low drive from the edge of the box but Kane was in an offside position in the goalkeeper's line of vision and the effort was ruled out. Bayern pushed forward in search of a goal that could have sent them back to top of the group but Trubin was out fast again to deny Sane and deep in stoppage time Kane mistimed a header from close range. "I think this was a very fair and important win, historic really," said Benfica head coach Bruno Lage, who said few in the media had believed his team could beat Bayern. "We were as straightforward and assertive as we should be and I think we were very effective in delivering our strategy today," he added. Bayern boss Kompany said both teams deserved credit for the way they handled the heat. "You could see that it was really tough conditions so respect to both teams for that. Our first half was not good enough for sure, the second half was definately more the level that we expected and good enough to score one or two or three goals," he said.
