The round of 16 featured Messi, Manchester City, and the Italian clubs all going out of the Club World Cup, and that’s not all that’s shocking. The temperatures didn’t go down, but plenty of action did.
CLUB WORLD CUP WINNERS
Al-Hilal
Casual fans might wonder whether Manchester City tanked the game to give an Arab team passage to the semis and a reputational boost to Middle Eastern soccer, but that doesn’t pass the eye test for people who watched the game. (Nor does it make much sense that a Qatari-owned team would do a favor like that for a Saudi club.) City’s three goals weren’t enough to prevent the upset of the tournament and an insanely thrilling game. Ali Lajami prevented Haaland from scoring the match-winner by clearing his shot off the line late in regulation, allowing Marcos Leonardo to win the game by bundling home a rebound in extra time. (His mother was watching on TV after two months in a Brazilian ICU due to complications from surgery.) Coach Simone Inzaghi, who only took charge of this team a few weeks ago, masterminded a classic counterattacking game plan that prevailed over Pep Guardiola. We could wish for a more sympathetic underdog, but we can still appreciate the magnitude of their win.
Fluminense
I was wondering if any of the European sides would fall to non-European competition, and Big Flu was the first to get there in their 2-0 win over an Inter Milan side that blew yet another chance at a trophy. Now the Brazilian side faces Al-Hilal, and if you had that quarterfinal match in your bracket, bully for you.
Federico Valverde
Absolutely shredded Juventus’ defense by himself, and only a couple of great saves by Juve keeper Michele di Gregorio (including one from a bicycle kick by the Real Madrid midfield threat) kept the Uruguayan off the scoresheet. Valverde helped his team to a win that was far easier than the 1-0 final score suggested.
Bundesliga strikers
The German league’s leading scorer Harry Kane came through with a brace that Bayern Munich needed in their 4-2 win over Flamengo, while Dortmund’s Serhou Guirassy (tied for second in the Bundi) continued his scoring form with two goals against Monterrey.
CLUB WORLD CUP LOSERS
Inter Miami
Didn’t I say that matching up with Paris St.-Germain was going to be trouble? Inter received a 4-0 humiliation that had Zlatan Ibrahimović talking trash about everyone not named Lionel Messi. World Cup winner Sergio Busquets was made to look like an amateur as he lost the ball at midfield, which led directly to João Neves’ second goal, but maintaining their defensive shell made no sense for Inter after they gave up the first goal to Neves five minutes after the start. The Herons probably would have lost this game regardless of their tactics, but a more attacking philosophy might have helped them save face, the way Flamengo distinguished themselves in their defeat to Bayern Munich.
Italy
As one of Europe’s “Big Four” leagues, they might reasonably have expected one of their teams to make the semifinals. There’s no shame (or indeed surprise) in Juventus losing to Real Madrid, but Inter Milan falling to Fluminense is a blow. The summer just got longer in the land of calcio.
Manchester City
That was the second straight bad game from goalkeeper Éderson, but even that’s not as concerning as Rodri getting hurt again. This was the sixth match for the Spanish central midfielder since recovering from a torn ACL, and he asked out of the game after only 47 minutes of action as a second-half substitute. No word yet on how serious Rodri’s injury is, and he does have six weeks to recover before the new Premier League season starts up. At that point, we’ll see if Pep Guardiola is still happy that his team went to the Club World Cup.
The hosts of World Cup 2026
Chelsea coach Enzo Maresca was talking about the intense summer heat when he said America wasn’t fit to host this tournament, and he’s not the only one. From Seattle to Orlando, the games have experienced extensive delays for hydration and to prevent heat-related injuries, and teams all over the globe must be wondering if America is this bad now, what is Mexico going to be like next summer when World Cup matches are played there? Whether it’s earlier start times, games in domed stadiums, or longer halftime breaks, the organizers need to start coming up with possible solutions to the heat before the matches are scheduled, because nobody wants to see a player die on the pitch at the World Cup or any other time.
The Bellingham family reunion
Real Madrid will face Borussia Dortmund after the latter’s squeaker of a 2-1 win over Monterrey. However, we won’t get a brother vs. brother showdown, as Dortmund’s Jobe Bellingham picked up a yellow card that will see him suspended for the quarterfinal against Jude Bellingham’s Real. Ah well.