Chelsea booked their quarter-final spot at the ongoing FIFA Club World Cup after a 4-1 win in a rather bizarre match against Benfica. The Blues will face Palmeiras in the quarter-finals on the 5th of July.
Chelsea started the game better and dominated much of the first half but could not find the net.
Marc Cucurella missed two good chances, and Cole Palmer also came close, but to no avail for the Blues. However, just 20 minutes after the restart, Chelsea got a free kick down the left-hand side of Benfica’s half. Chelsea captain Reece James stepped up and curled it home for the opener.
After James’s goal, Chelsea looked like they controlled much of the game and could see the match out until the referee stopped the match in the 85th minute.
Bizarre Break After 85 Minutes
The referee stopped the game due to adverse weather, and the players and fans left the pitch because of possible lightning heading toward the open Bank of America Stadium.
The break lasted over 100 minutes before the players and fans returned. After the restart, Chelsea initially defended the first five minutes remaining before added time, but just into the final minutes of the game, the referee judged that Malo Gusto had handled the ball and made the controversial call to award the penalty after a VAR review.
Ángel Di María scored for Benfica to push the tie into extra time, where many thought Benfica would gain the mental advantage over the Chelsea players. However, the drama didn’t end there. Prestianni received a red card for Benfica just two minutes into extra time, and that moment swung the balance of the game in Chelsea’s favour once again.
From there, Chelsea started creating chances and catching Benfica in possession. Christopher Nkunku gave Chelsea the lead after good work from Cole Palmer, who set up Moises Caicedo to take a shot that Benfica goalkeeper Trubin failed to handle properly.
Nkunku reacted quickly to get a second attempt off, and he executed it perfectly, lifting the ball over Otamendi to give Chelsea the lead in extra time.
Nkunku’s goal opened things up further for Chelsea as Pero Neto and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall ran through on goal to finish the game off and send Chelsea through to the quarter-finals of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup in style.
Chelsea will face their new winger Estevao when they play against Palmeiras on Saturday. Hopefully, the quarter-final match does not stretch into another day.
