Chelsea secured their spot in the quarter-finals of the FIFA Club World Cup (CWC) with a convincing 4-1 win over Benfica, capping off an extended match with a rapid-fire treble in extra time.
The Blues wasted no time in Charlotte, pushing players forward from the get-go as they aimed to continue their impressive streak of scoring in the first half of all three of their CWC matches thus far.
However, for every opportunity created by Chelsea, Benfica responded defensively. Pedro Neto was thwarted by Anatolii Trubin within the opening 44 seconds, closely followed by Liam Delap, who was also held off by António Silva just a few minutes later.
Marc Cucurella emerged as one of the standout players for Enzo Maresca’s side, coming close to breaking the deadlock twice in the first half. His efforts led to a remarkable clearance off the line by Silva and a brilliant save from Trubin, ensuring Benfica went into the break with the score tied.
Although Chelsea struggled to find their rhythm against a Benfica team that offered little offensively, they finally found their stride when the Blues’ captain, Reece James, found the net with a powerful free-kick in the 64th minute after a foul by Palmer on the left wing.
In the dying minutes of the match, Cucurella and Delap displayed excellent teamwork, with the Spaniard threading a perfectly timed ball through to Delap. However, after rounding the goalkeeper for what would have been his second goal for Chelsea, Delap was flagged offside prior to the finish.
Despite Chelsea looking likely to clinch the match comfortably, they were forced to endure a lengthy weather delay with only five minutes remaining. In a dramatic twist, Benfica’s Angel Di Maria equalised from the penalty spot in the fifth minute of stoppage time, following a handball by Malo Gusto in the box, forcing the match into an extra 30 minutes. Although The Eagles were reduced to ten men when Gianluca Prestianni received a red card shortly after.
As the spectre of penalties loomed large, it was Christopher Nkunku who emerged as Chelsea’s saviour, scoring from close range after a mix-up in the box involving Trubin. Late goals from Neto and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall then sealed the victory for the English side, propelling Maresca’s team into a showdown with Palmeiras in the quarter-finals.
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Compiled by SportArena.com.au.
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