Despite a strong opening performance with a 2–0 win against Los Angeles FC in their first Club World Cup match at the mostly vacant Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Chelsea could not sustain their momentum into their next game.
The Blues suffered a heavy defeat, going down 3–1 to Flamengo, even after taking an early lead with a goal from Pedro Neto, who had also scored in the victory over LAFC.
Chelsea’s happiness was fleeting, as Bruno Henrique equalized in the 62nd minute, followed by goals from Danilo (65′) and Wallace Yan (83′).
A jab from the Brazilian club’s social media, stating that ‘Chelsea is a small neighborhood in London,’ seemed to irritate even further as the game progressed.
Just three minutes after Flamengo’s second goal, Nicolas Jackson received a red card, only four minutes after being brought on as a substitute.
This result puts Chelsea in a position where they must secure a win against African team ES Tunis on Tuesday to advance to the knockout stage. However, even with a victory, they might still encounter the Group C winner.
On the other hand, Flamengo appears poised to finish at the top of Group D and has preserved South America’s unbeaten streak in the newly formatted Club World Cup.
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In Group C, Munich earned their place in the knockout phase with an 84th-minute goal from Michael Olise in a 2–1 win over Boca Juniors in Miami Gardens.
The reigning champions from Germany previously commenced their tournament with an astounding 10–0 triumph over Auckland City.
In other news, SL Benfica achieved an impressive 6–0 victory against the same Auckland team, which has now suffered seven consecutive losses across various competitions, with a total aggregate score of 27–1.
Benfica’s final group-stage match will be against Munich, while Auckland, having conceded 16 goals in just two matches, will be returning home after their last game against Boca Juniors.
