Charlotte, USA— Chelsea secured a hard-fought 4-1 victory after extra time against Benfica in a rain-delayed last-16 match at the Club World Cup on Saturday, booking their spot in the quarter-finals.
Goals from Christopher Nkunku, Pedro Neto, and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall during extra time propelled the Premier League side into a quarter-final showdown with Brazil’s Palmeiras. The match, held at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina, stretched to nearly five hours due to an almost two-hour weather suspension.
Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca expressed satisfaction with the win but criticized the prolonged delay, describing it as detrimental to the flow of the game. “It’s a joke, it’s not football,” Maresca lamented. “We controlled the match for 85 minutes and created enough chances to win. After the break, the game changed — for me, that’s not football.”
Chelsea appeared set to close out the match in regulation time after Reece James scored a well-placed free-kick in the second half, giving his side a 1-0 lead with just four minutes remaining. However, as the team prepared for the next round, a severe storm forced officials to suspend the game in line with local safety protocols.
This marked the sixth time during the tournament that weather warnings have interrupted play, a trend Maresca found concerning. “If you suspend six, seven, eight games, it means something isn’t working well,” he said. “It’s not normal to stop a football match like this.”
When the match resumed nearly two hours later, Benfica capitalized on a VAR decision that awarded them a penalty after Chelsea substitute Malo Gusto was penalized for handball in the box. Veteran Argentine Angel Di Maria calmly converted the spot-kick, leveling the score and sending the game into extra time.
The first half of extra time was fiercely contested, with Benfica reduced to 10 men after Gianluca Prestianni received a second yellow card late in regulation. Despite their numerical disadvantage, Benfica pushed hard for a lead. Instead, Nkunku restored Chelsea’s advantage by bundling in a close-range finish following a low shot from Moises Caicedo that slipped past Benfica goalkeeper Antoliy Trubin.
As the match opened up, Chelsea exploited Benfica’s vulnerabilities on the counterattack. Neto extended the lead to 3-1 with a composed finish after breaking through on goal in the 114th minute. Dewsbury-Hall sealed the victory three minutes later, completing the scoring and sending Chelsea into the last eight.
By Taiwo Olatinwo | June 29, 2025
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