FIFA CWC: Upsets, shockers and empty stadiums

Club World Cup delivers surprises: PSG shines, Real held, City struggle, South Americans impress—tournament heats up despite sparse crowds.

Federico Valverde rues missed penalty in the FIFA Club World Cup against A Hilal on Wednesday. The game ended 1-1. (Photo credit: GOAL)

The FIFA Club World Cup has shown us the tournament isn’t a waste of time after all, and we can throw the 10-0 demolition of Auckland FC by Bayern Munich in the one-off basket.

We have seen results that excite us, and to be honest, the South American contingents have impressed greatly, not the least the Saudi contingent with Al Hilal holding almighty Real Madrid to a 1-1 draw; it’s been a show in terms of results.

We have a lot to say about the crowd across stadiums, and what were you expecting from a country with other sports way ahead of football in the pecking order? These footballers are professionals; they should be able to perform whether someone is watching or not.

The crowd challenge is also expected to abate towards the knockout rounds; it might be easy to understand why no one is interested in some involving unpopular teams. Do you think American citizens know who Auckland FC is? We will give it time.

Back to the games, Juventus beat Al Ain 5-0, but that’s another anomaly; Manchester City had to sweat it out to beat African side Wydad Casablanca, with the Moroccan side missing several big chances, and the entertaining game between Pachuca and Salzburg ended 2-1 to the latter.

The prize money is mouthwatering; now you can understand why many teams don’t mind investing in their squad ahead of the tournament, as they know they would recoup their investments. Are we in for more shocks in the tournament?

Inter Milan, beaten in the Champions League by PSG in an embarrassing manner, laboured to a 1-1 draw against Australian side FC Monterrey, and Borussia Dortmund was grateful to earn a point against Brazilian side Fluminense.

Speaking of Brazilian sides, Flamengo beat Esperance 2-0, and Porto couldn’t get past Botafogo, beating Seattle Sounders 2-0, while Porto couldn’t get past Palmeiras as they settled for a goalless draw. Argentine side Boca Juniors were forced to a 2-2 draw by Benfica, while River Plate beat Urawa 3-1.

PSG is the team to watch again after they destroyed Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid 4-0. Chelsea didn’t inspire a lot of confidence, and Bayern needs a stronger opponent to see how good they really are. We expect so much from the tournament from here on.