Club World Cup: Auckland City, an amateur team, stun Argentinian giants that once featured Diego Maradona, Carlos Tevez

TOI Sports Desk / TIMESOFINDIA.COM / Jun 25, 2025, 16:33 IST

Text Size

Small
Medium
Large

Auckland City, ranked 4,971st in the world, defied expectations by drawing 1-1 with Boca Juniors in the Club World Cup. Despite heavy defeats earlier in the tournament, Auckland displayed remarkable resilience to deny the Argentinian side a crucial victory and hence deny them qualification to the Round of 16.

Club World Cup: Auckland City, an amateur team, stun Argentinian giants that once featured Diego Maradona, Carlos Tevez

Auckland City's Adam Mitchell (left) and Jerson Lagos celebrate after the Club World Cup Group C draw against Boca Juniors (Image via AP/George Walker IV)

In one of the most astonishing results at the 2025 Club World Cup, and in football altogether, Auckland City, a side ranked 4,971st in the world by Opta, held South American side Boca Juniors, ranked 152 on the planet, to a 1-1 draw on Tuesday.Auckland, the lowest-ranked team in the tournament and already eliminated after two heavy defeats - a 6-0 thumping by Benfica and a 10-0 demolition by German giants Bayern Munich, produced a defiant display to deny Argentina's six-time Copa Libertadores winners a spot in the knockout stages. Boca needed a win to stand a chance of progressing. Despite being out-shot 40 to 4 and conceding nearly 70% possession, Auckland’s grit and determination paid off.

Stats of Auckland City vs Boca Juniors

1 - 1 (Goals)
0.19 - 2.38 (xG)
3 - 40 (Shots)
2 - 9 (Shots on Target)
26% - 74% (Possession)

To put the scale of the upset into perspective, this was the equivalent of Scottish third-tier side Cove Rangers (ranked 4,844th) drawing with Juventus (ranked 25th), as per Opta.

Boca went ahead in the 26th minute after Lautaro Di Lollo’s header hit the post and ricocheted in off Auckland goalkeeper Nathan Garrow for an unfortunate own goal. But Garrow recovered impressively, pulling off a series of second-half saves to preserve the scoreline.

Auckland struck back in the 52nd minute when Christian Gray powered in a header from Jerson Lagos’ corner, which was incidentally the team’s first goal of the tournament.

Poll

Was Auckland City's draw against Boca Juniors the biggest upset in Club World Cup history?

Yes, definitely!No, there have been bigger upsets.

“It’s been a tough trip, we’ve had some tough results but I’m just happy for the team and the boys, I think we deserve it, we got a little bit of respect back I hope,” said goal scorer Gray to DAZN.

Game On Season 1 continues with Mirabai Chanu’s inspiring story. Watch Episode 2 here.

About the Author

TOI Sports Desk

The TOI Sports Desk excels in a myriad of roles that capture the essence of live sporting events and deliver compelling content to readers worldwide. From running live blogs for India and non-India cricket matches to global spectacles featuring Indian talents, like the Chess World Cup final featuring Praggnanandhaa and the Badminton World Championships semifinal featuring HS Prannoy, our live coverage extends to all mega sporting events. We extensively cover events like the Olympics, Asian Games, Cricket World Cups, FIFA World Cups, and more. The desk is also adept at writing comprehensive match reports and insightful post-match commentary, complemented by stats-based articles that provide an in-depth analysis of player performances and team dynamics. We track news wires for key stories, conduct exclusive player interviews in both text and video formats, and file content from print editions and reporters. We keep track of all viral stories, trending topics and produce our own copies on the subjects. We deliver accurate, engaging, and up-to-the-minute sports content, round the clock.

End of Article