There was relief on Monday as Boca Juniors and Benfica fans attending their opening FIFA Club World Cup match at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami passed through security gates without incident.
Last summer's Copa America final between Argentina and Colombia descended into chaos with thousands of supporters storming the stadium after long delays to enter.
Fans climbed stadium gates, scaled walls and crawled through ventilation ducts in an effort to enter the stadium, with kick-off delayed for over an hour.
Many thousands more were trapped outside with the temperature soaring over 30 degrees, with organisers saying fans "continued to engage in illegal conduct – fighting police offers, breaking down walls and barricades and vandalising the stadium, causing significant damage to the property."
Fans forced their way in to the Hard Rock Stadium during the Copa America final in 2024Maddie Meyer / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP
Police made dozens of arrests with organisers promising a thorough review with the venue set to host FIFA World Cup games in 2026.
'It's a great environment'
The stadium, home to NFL's Miami Dolphins, opened the Club World Cup on Saturday and there was widespread praise with the organisation as Argentina fans returned for the first time to see Boca Juniors face Portugal's Benfica in their opening Group C match.
This time extra measures were in place to greet them with an exterior perimeter fence installed, an efficient filter system and enhanced ticket and security checks - all watched over by US counterterrorism police officers.
Police guarded the turnstiles to the Hard Rock Stadium on MondayFlashscore
Benfica fan Justin Faria brushed off any doubt over attending the match and told Flashscore he had "no problem on my mind coming down" to support his childhood team.
"No doubt (about coming). When you’re supporting your boyhood club you always got to come down and support them.
"Mostly for me, it was a problem for the World Cup – it's going to be a much bigger stage than the Club World Cup," he said.
"And really that was my thought that first came to mind, is the World Cup in two years and how disorganised that was (last year) with the fans crashing in.
A filter system, away from the stadium, led to an area where bags were searched and tickets scannedFlashscore
"But you know, with recent games that's been going on throughout the Club World Cup so far, there's no real problem."
Faria praised Boca Junior supporters who helped create a lively atmosphere in the build-up to the match.
"Everyone's been great so far. I mean, they're coming up to us, Boca Junior fans, taking pictures with us.
"It's a great environment. (I'm) just happy to be here."
In keeping with the friendly rivalry, Argentinian Miami resident Christian Ferreya arrived at the Hard Rock Stadium with his wife and two young children and said he will support both teams.
"We didn't come to the final (last year) but we live close by so we know exactly what happened and it was terrible, (but) we are not expecting the same today," he said.
"I'm actually not from that team (Boca Juniors), we are supporting them as Argentinians.
"At the same time, you know, with Benfica is (Angel) Di Maria which is a world champion for us so we're coming to see both," he explained.
US counterterrorism officers stood guard as bags were searchedFlashscore
Di Maria went on to score a first-half penalty as Benfica came from two goals down to draw 2-2.