South American teams lay down the gauntlet to Europe

Huge fan showing and stifling conditions are giving CONMEBOL sides the edge

PHILADELPHIA — It took until Friday night for South America's unbeaten run at the Club World Cup to come to an end, as Boca Juniors succumbed to a late defeat against Bayern Munich in Miami.

The Argentine giant's phenomenal support at the Hard Rock Stadium could not quite get it over the line, as Michael Olise's late goal inflicted a first loss in 10 games on a side from CONMEBOL.

But, the evidence so far in the United States suggests that if anyone is going to stop a European side winning FIFA's new 32-team competition, it will be a club from South America.