Hooligan Ranks: Club World Cup Round of 16 | OneFootball

With the benefit of little distance and a welcome break from the onslaught of games, the Hooligan team took a look back at the Round of 16 and ranked all eight fixtures. They are listed from worst to best.

8. Palmeiras 1 – 0 Botofogo (AET)

This was a unanimous choice for worst. Both teams never really got out of second gear, and appeared perfectly content to cruise through. Palmeiras were more dangerous, and the extra-time goal was the result of a lovely build-up and clinical finish from the second half substitute Paulinho. Then Palmeiras completely retreated into park-the-bus mode, conceding any hint of possession and allowing Botafogo to pepper them with shots. Even this last ditch scramble by Botafogo couldn’t resuscitate the game from life support.

Palmeiras will face Chelsea on Friday, July 4 @ 9:00pm ET in Philadelphia, PA.

7. Real Madrid 1 – 0 Juventus

With teams of this caliber, and in a knock-out game, you’d expect fireworks. Instead we lit the fuse and watched this dud spin around in circles emitting smoke and sputtering like a wet fart. OK, maybe it wasn’t that bad, but the loudest the crowd got was when Kylian Mbappé stepped on the pitch to replace the goalscorer García (who’s been a more-than-adequate stand-in, by the way). For fans of controlled, possession-minded soccer, this was adequate. But it deserved better.

Real Madrid next take on Borussia Dortmund on Saturday, July 5 a@ 4:00pm in East Rutherford, NJ.

6. Paris Saint-Germain 4 – 0 Inter Miami

The match ranks this low because of the sheer inevitability of the outcome. We expected PSG to dominate, and they did. While I have to give Miami some kudos for downing some espresso at halftime, then coming out to put on a façade of effort in the remaining 45 minutes, we all know the only reason they had any life was because PSG took their foot off the gas. I would have been happier if PSG continued to pile on the humiliation, but there must’ve been some locker room agreement to spare Lionel Messi any further embarrassment.

Paris Saint-Germain plays Bayern Munich on Saturday, July 5 @ noon ET in Atlanta, GA. This one should be AWESOME.

5. Inter Milan 0 vs. 2 Fluminense

Once again, full props to Gary Striker for calling this match. Fluminense struck in the 3rd minute, and I was concerned the match would descend into 85+ more minutes of low block nonsense. That didn’t exactly happen, though both sides were chippier than a tree service truck at the end of a busy day. There were 18 fouls committed in the first half, and 4 yellow cards issued. The second half opened up a bit, and Milan’s Lautaro had a number of attempts rebuffed by 44 year-old goalkeeper Fabio. The match teetered between hacking buffoonery and fluid attacking, and ultimately slipped due to the lethargic efforts by most of the Milan players.

Fluminense next play Al Hilal on Saturday, July 5 @ 3:00pm ET in Orlando, FL.

4. Borussia Dortmund 2 – 1 Monterrey

In all fairness, this game should have been nailed shut by Dortmund at the end of the first half. Borussia entered the dressing room up 2 goals, but it should have been 4. Serhou Guirassy was running rampant through the Monterrey defense, but wasteful in finishing. Sure enough, Monterrey came onto the pitch in the second half and pulled a smash-n-grab score three minutes after the whistle. Game on! As Borussia thrashed about, Monterrey threw everything they had at them. When Sergio Ramos leaped up in the 91st to meet a cross, you HAD to think the veteran shithouser would level the score and we’d have thirty more minutes of madness. Alas, he pulled it just wide. This contest was FAR more entertaining than the first half promised.

Borussia Dortmund will face Real Madrid on Saturday, July 5 a@ 4:00pm in East Rutherford, NJ.

3. Benfica 1 – 4 Chelsea (AET)

This was really two games. The first one played from kickoff through 82 minutes. Chelsea, in the words of their #1 supporter Gary Striker, “could not score in a brothel.” Despite dominating all aspects of the game, they were only up 1 – nil but firmly in control. Cue the thunderstorm.

After the weather delay, both team emerged from the dressing room to essential perform a mummer’s show of the final minutes. Only somebody forget to give that script to Benfica. They came out ready to play, drew a penalty for a VERY soft handling, and the next thing you knew the fixture was all level at 1 – 1 and we were going into extra time.

But the twists weren’t over yet! In the 92nd minute 19 year-old Gianluca Prestianni drew a red for a studs out tackle. Benfica continued to press forward and pressure Chelsea while a man down. But in the second half, Chelsea went for the jugular, ultimately netting three goals from Christopher Nkunku, Pedro Neto and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall.

Chelsea will play Palmeiras on Friday, July 4 @ 9:00pm ET in Philadelphia, PA.

2. Flamengo 2 – 4 Bayern Munich

There was joke the TV commontators made that Flamengo’s strategy in the game would be to park the bus, but they forget to get OFF the bus when the whistle blew. Bayern exploded off the line and scored two goals within 9 minutes. Flamengo never gave up, and it was precisely this spirit, plus the aura of menace they summoned, which made this match so enjoyable. When Gerson scored the goal of the tournament (IMO) in the 33rd minute I was screaming “Game on!” like a madman. This tit-for-tat attack and defend accordion play was thrilling.

Bayern Munich next faces on Saturday, July 5 @ noon ET in Atlanta, GA.

1. Manchester City 3 – 4 Al Hilal (AET)

Epic. Seriously one of the best games in 2025. If you didn’t see it unfold in real time, you missed out. Go back and watch it. All of it. You will not be disappointed.

Al Hilal will play Fluminense on Saturday, July 5 @ 3:00pm ET in Orlando, FL. Don’t sleep on this game… folks thought this Man City match was a shoe in.