Football can be weird. One minute you’re watching a tactical masterclass in the Champions League, and the next, you’re staring at a screen where a retired World Cup winner is trying to outpace a YouTuber who usually films prank videos in London. That was the vibe at Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium. If you missed it, the Match for Hope score ended in a wild 7-5 victory for Team Chunkz over Team AboFlaya.
It wasn't just about the goals, though.
When people search for the score of a charity match like this, they usually want the numbers, sure, but they also want to know if Eden Hazard still has "it" or if Speed actually tackled Kaka. Short answer? Yes and yes. The game, held in February 2024, brought together some of the biggest names in digital creation and footballing history to raise money for the Education Above All (EAA) Foundation. It was chaos. Beautiful, high-scoring, slightly uncoordinated chaos.
Why the Match for Hope Score Got So Out of Hand
Charity matches aren't known for their defensive discipline. You don't invite Roberto Carlos to a game and expect him to sit in a low block for ninety minutes. You want to see the outside-of-the-boot crosses. You want the drama.
The 12-goal thriller was a product of "legs." Or, more accurately, a lack of them. On one side, you had Team Chunkz, captained by the UK's own beta-squad frontman. On the other, Team AboFlaya, led by the Middle Eastern content powerhouse. When the Match for Hope score started ticking upward, it became clear that the professional legends—guys like Didier Drogba, David Villa, and Claude Makélélé—were there to provide the service, while the influencers were there to... well, try their best to finish.
Honestly, seeing Eden Hazard move on that pitch was a reminder of what we lost when he retired early. He didn't just play; he toyed with the opposition. He scored, he assisted, and he looked like he was having more fun than he’d had in years in Madrid. The scoreline reflected that freedom.
Breaking Down the Goals
It started relatively fast.
Team AboFlaya took an early lead, but the momentum shifted once the substitutions started rolling. Unlike a FIFA-regulated match, the rolling subs meant that the intensity (if you can call it that) stayed high even if the fitness levels were questionable.
- The Hazard Factor: Every time Eden touched the ball, the stadium held its breath. His goal was a vintage solo run that made the defenders look like they were stuck in mud.
- The Legends' Impact: David Villa showed he hasn't lost that clinical edge. He was finding pockets of space that the younger creators didn't even know existed.
- The Influencer Moments: Chunkz isn't exactly a pro, but he knows where the net is. His leadership on the pitch was mostly vibes, but it worked.
By the time the whistle blew for halftime, we already had a scoreline that most Premier League teams would take a month to accumulate. It was 3-2, but the floodgates were about to burst.
The Second Half Surge: How Team Chunkz Won
If you looked at the rosters before kickoff, it was a toss-up. But in the second half, Team Chunkz found a rhythm that AboFlaya’s squad couldn't match.
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The final Match for Hope score of 7-5 suggests a close game, but there was a window where it felt like Chunkz's side was going to hit double digits. The chemistry between the retired pros and the content creators is always the hardest part to manage in these events. If the pros play too hard, it’s boring. If they don't play hard enough, it’s a mess.
They found the sweet spot.
Didier Drogba scoring at the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium felt poetic. He’s a man who thrives in big atmospheres, and even in a friendly capacity, that competitive streak is still visible in his eyes. He wasn't there to lose. When the score leveled at 4-4, you could see the "pro" switch flip. The passes got crisper. The runs became more intentional.
IShowSpeed and the Kaka Incident
You can't talk about this game or the final tally without mentioning the most viral moment of the night.
Speed.
The American streamer is known for his energy, but his tactical awareness is, let’s say, evolving. At one point, he decided to fly into a challenge on Kaka. Yes, that Kaka. A Ballon d'Or winner. It was a late, sliding tackle from behind that earned him a yellow card and a chorus of disbelief from the commentators.
It didn't directly change the Match for Hope score, but it changed the energy. It reminded everyone that while this was for charity, the ego of a creator is a powerful thing. They wanted to win. They wanted the highlight reel. Kaka, being the class act he is, just got up and smiled, though he probably checked his ankles a few minutes later.
More Than Just Numbers: The $8.8 Million Total
While we obsess over the 7-5 result, the real number that matters came after the final whistle.
The event raised over $8.8 million for education projects in countries like Mali, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Pakistan. This is where the nuance of these events lies. We watch for the memes—the Speed misses, the Chunkz celebrations, the Hazard glimpses—but the financial impact is massive.
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The Qatari organizers, specifically the EAA and the Qatar Tourism board, leaned heavily into the "content creator" era of sports marketing. They realized that a kid in Manchester or Riyadh might not watch a standard legends match, but they will watch if their favorite YouTuber is getting nutmegged by Roberto Carlos.
The Venue and Atmosphere
Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium was a World Cup venue, and it felt like it.
Even for a charity match, the production value was top-tier. Usually, these games feel like a Sunday league kickoff with more cameras. This felt like a legitimate sporting event. The crowd was a mix of local families and young fans who spent the entire 90 minutes screaming for a selfie with the stars.
The pitch quality allowed for the high Match for Hope score because the ball stayed true. On a worse pitch, those 40-yard diagonal balls from the legends would have bobbled into touch. Here, they landed on a dime.
What Most People Get Wrong About These Scores
There’s a common complaint that charity match scores are "fixed."
Look, nobody is sitting in a locker room with a script saying, "Okay, at minute 72, we need the score to be 5-4." That’s not how it works. However, there is an unwritten rule: Don't defend like your life depends on it.
If a defender sees a legend like David Villa lining up a shot from the edge of the box, they aren't going to throw their body in front of it and risk a broken rib. They’re going to shadow him, give him a bit of space, and let the fans see the shot. That’s why the Match for Hope score was so high. It’s "entertainment defense."
Also, the goalkeepers in these games are often caught in a weird spot. They want to make saves to look good, but they also don't want to ruin the fun. When you combine elite finishers with "polite" defending, you get 12 goals. Simple math.
The Role of Strategy (Or Lack Thereof)
Arsene Wenger was involved in the coaching side of things for this event.
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Think about that for a second. One of the greatest tactical minds in the history of the sport was tasked with organizing a team that included IShowSpeed. It’s hilarious. Wenger’s influence was visible in the way the teams tried to spread the width of the pitch, but let's be real: tactics go out the window when the players have vastly different fitness levels.
The "strategy" for Team Chunkz was basically:
- Get the ball to Hazard or Drogba.
- Stay out of their way.
- Hope the opposition's influencers get tired first.
It worked.
The second-half collapse of Team AboFlaya wasn't about a lack of skill; it was about the gaps that opened up as the content creators started to feel the Qatar heat and the size of a professional-grade pitch. Most people don't realize how big these fields are until they have to sprint back and forth on them for an hour.
Key Takeaways from the Match for Hope
If you're looking for deep tactical analysis, you're in the wrong place. But if you want to understand why this specific game resonated so much, here it is.
- The Bridge is Built: The gap between traditional sports and digital entertainment is gone. They are the same thing now.
- Hazard is a "What If": Seeing him play makes every Chelsea fan nostalgic and every football fan a little sad that his prime ended so abruptly.
- Charity Wins: $8.8 million is a life-changing amount of money for the regions the EAA supports.
The Match for Hope score of 7-5 is now a footnote in the history of these "creator-led" sporting events, but it set a new bar for production and fundraising. It wasn't just a kickabout in the park. It was a massive, high-stakes production that managed to feel authentic despite the bright lights and millions of viewers.
Real Actions to Take
If you followed the score but want to do more than just watch highlights, there are a few things you can actually do. First, check out the Education Above All Foundation’s website. They have specific breakdowns of where that $8 million is going. It's not just a vague "charity" bucket; it’s going into school infrastructure and teacher training.
Second, if you're a fan of these events, support the official broadcasts. The more views these get on platforms like YouTube and TikTok, the easier it is for organizers to secure the funding to fly legends across the world for a good cause.
Lastly, don't take the score too seriously. It was 7-5 because it needed to be 7-5. It was a celebration of the sport, the creators, and the people the money will eventually help. Whether you're Team Chunkz or Team AboFlaya, the result was exactly what it needed to be.