CR Flamengo pulled off a stunning comeback in the second half to hand Chelsea a 3-1 defeat during matchday two of the FIFA Club World Cup, leaving the Brazilian club three points ahead of the Blues at the top of Group D.
Liam Delap, who provided an assist on his debut for Chelsea, had an early opportunity to score in his first start for the team. The former Ipswich Town striker received a well-timed ball from Enzo Fernandez but saw his powerful shot parried away by AgustÃn Rossi at the near post.
Fortunately for Chelsea, Pedro Neto broke the deadlock not long after.
The ball ricocheted between Neto and two Flamengo defenders at the halfway line before falling kindly for the Portuguese winger, who sprinted away and calmly slid the ball past Rossi for his second goal in the tournament.
In response to Chelsea’s opener, Flamengo dominated possession and almost equalised late in the first half when Gerson’s header was cleared off the line by Levi Colwill.
After trailing at the break, Filipe LuÃs rallied his side for a strong start to the second half at Lincoln Financial Field.
Gonzalo Plata just missed the target following a deflected shot from Gerson, before the Ecuadorian forced Robert Sánchez into a save from his rising effort.
Despite failing to score himself, Plata made his mark by nodding the ball across goal for Bruno Henrique to tap in from close range, igniting jubilant celebrations among Flamengo’s fans.
With the momentum swinging in their favour, the Brazilian side quickly took the lead thanks to veteran defender Danilo, who converted after Henrique’s towering header from a deep corner.
Things went from bad to worse for Chelsea after conceding two goals in a mere three minutes, culminating in Nicolas Jackson being dismissed for a reckless challenge on left-back Ayrton Lucas.
The final nail in the Blues’ coffin came when Wallace Yan secured a late third goal, extending Flamengo’s winning streak to six matches and putting an end to Chelsea’s four-game winning run.
For a detailed match summary, click here
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Compiled by SportArena.com.au.
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