On the sweltering-hot PSV Campus de Herdgang, eight teams battled it out on this first day of international top-level football.
In Group A, the day began with PSV against Manchester United and Adelaide United against Palmeiras. PSV deservedly, but narrowly, defeated Manchester United; Tije Vos was the match-winner after a fine header from a corner. Brazilian side Palmeiras had less trouble securing the three points as the Australians were handed a 3-0 defeat.
Next up was Group B. Chelsea had to dig deep after Freddy Bernal received a red card just 11 seconds into the game. Despite this, the Londoners managed to come out on top and Portuguese side Benfica were eventually beaten 3-2. AS Monaco and Club Brugge needed more time to decide their match - In a fairly even contest, it was ultimately the physically strong Monegasques who proved just too strong for them. The final score was 2-0 in their favour.
Both groups had a second group-stage match scheduled on this first day. On the main pitch, PSV played Adelaide United, while on Pitch 1 Manchester United and Palmeiras faced off. After a 1-1 halftime score, PSV eventually pulled away from Adelaide with the match ending in a convincing 4-1 victory. Manchester United and Palmeiras cancelled each other out, with both teams finding the net once. With these results, PSV have already secured a place in the semifinals. The Eindhoven side have six points after two matches. Palmeiras are second with four points, followed by Manchester United with one point. Adelaide United currently sit bottom of Group A and are still without a point.
In Group B, Chelsea and Monaco faced each other. In an energetic match, both teams scored twice, meaning there was no winner. Club Brugge did themselves a favour by defeating Benfica 1-0, however, nothing has been decided yet in this group. Monaco and Chelsea both have four points, while Club Brugge follow with three points. Benfica remain pointless at the bottom of the group.
Tomorrow promises to be another day full of competition, excitement, and great football at PSV Campus de Herdgang. The final group-stage matches will take place in the morning, after which the definitive group standings will be known. The semifinals will then follow in the afternoon.