Seeking their first win of the Club World Cup, Tunisia's Esperance Tunis knew before kick-off that their best opportunity to collect a win would come against Major League Soccer outfit Los Angeles FC (LAFC), and so it proved.

Youcef Belaïli scored in the 70th minute, and goalkeeper Ben Said saved a penalty deep in second-half stoppage to enable them secure a 1-0 win and keep their FIFA Club World Cup hopes alive in a dramatic contest Friday in Nashville, Tennessee.

The victory takes ES Tunis (1-1-0, 3 points) level with Chelsea in Group D, after the English side lost 3-1 to Brazil's Flamengo also on Friday.

Referee Espen Eskas awarded a very late spot kick following a video review, ruling Khalil Guenichi had felled Marlon in the area.

Gabon striker Denis Bouanga drove his ensuing penalty kick into the dive of Ben Said, securing a result that eliminated LAFC (0-2-0, 0 points) from tournament contention.

The winner of ES Tunis' meeting with Chelsea on Tuesday in Philadelphia will move on to the knockout phase, with Chelsea advancing with a draw based on superior goal difference.

The Tunisians also had an earlier penalty decision go against them 20 minutes before Belaïlis opener, when the Algerian attacker believed he had earned a spot kick after driving past Bouanga on the dribble, but Eskas was summoned to the monitor, and after consulting replays, ruled Bouanga wasn't guilty of a foul, and booked Belaïli for simulation.

That failed to halt the match momentum for Tunis, however, who was superior for most of the encounter and did allow LAFC to record a shot on target until second-half stoppage time.

They were eventually rewarded when Amine Ben Hamida made a marauding run from the left flank near the midfield stripe into the penalty area.

He was eventually halted by an LAFC defender's challenge. But Belaïli was first to the loose ball, and he drove his finish low and hard through LAFC goalkeeper Hugo Lloris.

It appeared LAFC's fading tournament hopes would be given a lifeline after Eskas' second pivotal penalty decision, with the Gabon international Bouanga stepping forward.

But Said dove to his left, and with Bouanga's placement very poor, the Tunisian keeper kicked the ball wide of danger with his trailing leg. On Tuesday, we await the big one- Esperance vs. Chelsea.

Bayern Munich and Benfica also collected three points respectively from their matches.

Bayern booked their place in the knockout stages of the Club World Cup with Harry Kane and Michael Olise on target in a hard-fought 2-1 win over Argentina's Boca Juniors on Friday.

Benfica romped to a 6-0 win over Auckland City on Friday in a Club World Cup match in Orlando, which suffered a long weather delay, with Angel Di Maria netting two penalties.

With the Portuguese side leading by a goal at halftime, the match was suspended because of a storm, eventually resuming two hours later.

Auckland of New Zealand, the only Oceania Football Confederation representatives at the tournament, were thrashed 10-0 by Bayern Munich in their group C opener and this defeat means they are eliminated.