Daijiworld Media Network - Philadelphia
Philadelphia, Jun 21: Brazilian giants Flamengo produced a stirring second-half comeback to defeat Chelsea 3-1 on Friday, becoming the first team to seal a spot in the last 16 of FIFA’s revamped Club World Cup.
A spirited crowd of 54,019, mostly Flamengo supporters, witnessed the turnaround at Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field. Chelsea had taken the lead through Pedro Neto in the first half, but Flamengo’s resilience came to the fore after the break.
Substitute Bruno Henrique turned the game around with an equaliser shortly after coming on in the 56th minute. He then set up veteran defender Danilo, who slotted home the go-ahead goal, stunning the Premier League side.
Chelsea's troubles deepened when substitute Nicolas Jackson was sent off in the 68th minute for a reckless tackle on Ayrton Lucas. Flamengo capitalised on the advantage, with Wallace Yan sealing the win late in the match.
“It was a special day for me and for the club,” said Flamengo coach and former Chelsea player Filipe Luis. “We stuck to our playing style and it paid off. But now we focus on the next game — this group is still very tough.”
Flamengo’s place in the knockout phase was confirmed after Tunisia’s Esperance beat Los Angeles FC 1-0 in a later Group D match in Nashville. Youcef Belaili scored the match-winner in front of a sparse crowd that included actress Nicole Kidman.
LAFC, who entered the tournament via a last-minute play-off win over Mexico’s Club America following Leon’s disqualification, have now been eliminated.
Chelsea and Esperance are tied at three points each and will clash next Tuesday in Philadelphia to decide the second team to progress from Group D.
“We knew Flamengo were a quality side, and they proved it,” admitted Chelsea coach Enzo Maresca. “They’re unbeaten in Brazil and showed why tonight.”
The result comes a day after Botafogo’s surprise win over European champions PSG, extending South American teams’ unbeaten streak in the tournament to nine games.
Elsewhere, Boca Juniors are set to face a stern test in Miami as they take on Bayern Munich, who routed Auckland City 10-0 in their opener. A win for Bayern will book their place in the last 16.
Earlier in Orlando, Benfica crushed Auckland 6-0 to keep their hopes alive while eliminating the Oceania club. Angel Di Maria scored twice from the spot, while Leandro Barreiro netted a brace alongside goals from Vangelis Pavlidis and Renato Sanches.
The match was delayed for two hours due to a storm — the fourth weather-hit game in four days.
“This was the longest match of my career,” said Benfica coach Bruno Lage. “Credit to our fans who waited five hours to cheer us on.”