Chelsea found a place among the semi-finalists of the Club World Cup after a difficult but deserved 2:1 victory over Palmeiras, sportal.bg reported.
Cole Palmer gave the English giants the lead in the 16th minute, but at the beginning of the second half, the young star of Palmeiras Estevao scored a spectacular goal into the goal of his future club. The denouement came in the 83rd minute with an own goal by the Brazilians' goalkeeper Weverton, after previously a shot by Malo Gusto ricocheted off another player from "Verdao".
The match at the "Lincoln Financial Field" stadium in Philadelphia offered a lot of emotions. Chelsea created more chances, and Palmeiras could not take revenge on the "Blues" for the 1-2 loss in the final of the tournament in its previous format in 2022. In the semi-finals, Enzo Maresca's team will face Fluminense, who eliminated Al-Hilal.
Palmeiras had not lost since the start of the Club World Cup. The São Paulo giants finished first in Group "A", collecting 5 points. "Verdao" started with a goalless draw against Porto, then defeated Egyptian Al-Ahly 2-0, and in their last match ended 2-2 with Inter Miami. In the round of 16, Palmeiras eliminated Botafogo 1-0 after extra time.
Chelsea's performance so far has been up and down. In the group stage, "Blues" from London defeated FC Los Angeles (2:0) and EU Tunisia (3:0), but lost 1:3 to Flamengo and remained second in Group "D". In the round of 16, Enzo Maresca's team eliminated Benfica 4:1 after extra time.
Vítor Roque started at the top of the attack for Palmeiras. Behind him played Alan, Facundo Torres and the young star Estevao, who had already been purchased from Chelsea. Emiliano Martinez and Richard Rios formed a midfield partnership, while the defenders in front of Weverton were Agustin Guiay, Mikael, Bruno Fuchs and Vanderlaan.
Former Brazilian international Felipe Anderson, Rafael Veiga and Paulinho, who scored against Inter Miami and Botafogo, remained among the reserves.
Chelsea's starting eleven made three changes compared to the match against Benfica. Trevo Chalobah replaced Benoit Badiashil in central defence, while Malo Gusto and Christopher Nkunku started in place of the suspended Moises Caicedo and the injured Romeo Lavia. Up front, Enzo Maresca once again voted for Cole Palmer, Liam Delap and Pedro Neto.
Nicholas Jackson, who received a red card against Flamengo, was on the bench. The names of Noni Madueke, Tosin Adarabioyo and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall were also visible there.
The beginning was full of errant passes from both sides. Chelsea could have taken the lead in the 4th minute, but Weverton blocked a powerful shot by Palmer. The Londoners continued to look for gaps in the opposing defense, and their combinations of speed often surprised the Palmeiras defenders.
In the 16th minute, Chalobah found Palmer with a shrewd pass, and the Chelsea star did the rest in the best possible way. He freed himself on the edge of the penalty area and opened the scoring with a measured shot into the bottom right corner.
The goal stunned the Brazilians, and Maresca's players played with enthusiasm and very easily got into shooting positions. Weverton saved shots from Marc Cucurreia and Enzo Fernandes, and Trevo Chalobah sent the ball out after a pass from Enzo. Most of Chelsea's attacks came down the right flank, but Pedro Neto was also active on the left.
Although Palmeiras gradually moved the action further away from their goal, Chelsea were in control of the match. In the 34th minute, Cole Palmer found the uncovered Nkunku, but the Frenchman shot over the crossbar. Shortly before the break, Robert Sanchez intervened authoritatively and parried a header from Vanderlaan.
Palmeiras came out to start the second half with a much more offensive mindset. In the 53rd minute, Estevao showed why Chelsea actually paid €34 million for him. The youngster received a pass from Richard Rios and surprised Robert Sanchez from a very tight angle. A crossbar also helped the ball end up in Chelsea's goal.
Immediately after the goal, Maresca replaced Liam Delap with new signing Joao Pedro, who made his debut for the Londoners. Nkunku gave way to Madueke. In the 61st minute, Madueke found himself in a comfortable position, but he was slow to take the shot and was blocked. A little later, Alan shot from long range and the ball went close to the post.
Abel Ferreira released Paulinho and he once again showed that his substitutions from the bench give results. The striker troubled Chelsea's defense several times with his speed. A quarter of an hour before the end, a cross from a corner created tension in the Palmeiras penalty area, but Cucurreia shot very inaccurately.
In the 77th minute, Madueke was brought down in front of the penalty spot. Palmer stood behind the ball, but shot into the wall. Chelsea were pressing their opponent. Enzo Fernandes also fired at Weverton, but the ball was cleared for a corner. After his learned execution, Malo Gusto looked for a low cross, the ball deflected off a defender in green, and then off Weverton, to enter the Palmeiras goal.
Palmeiras had the opportunity to respond instantly, but Paulinho shot inches wide, after previously technically clearing space in the Chelsea penalty area. In the last minutes, Chelsea managed to keep the ball and unnerve the opponent. The Brazilians made a mistake and committed several fouls that deprived them of valuable time.
Seconds before the final whistle, Madueke shot against the post. Joao Pedro also had a chance, but Weverton cleared it for a corner. Ultimately, Chelsea achieved a well-deserved success and will compete for a place in the final with another Brazilian club - Fluminense.