Benfica out of FIFA Club World Cup after 4-1 defeat against Chelsea | OneFootball

Benfica’s participation in the FIFA Club World Cup is over after losing 4-1 in extra time to Chelsea in a match that finished four and a half hours after it kicked off.

With five minutes remaining, the match was interrupted owing to an incoming storm over the Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina, with Chelsea leading 1-0 through a Reece James goal direct from a free kick.

Chelsea were good value for their lead with an inoffensive Benfica unable to trouble the English team and the Portuguese side were only kept in the game thanks to a miraculous goal-line headed clearance by António Silva and some outstanding goalkeeping by Anatoliy Trubin.

Ironically, it was a mistake from the Ukrainian stopper that led to Chelsea’s goal, Reece James showing intelligence and perfect execution to whip a free kick inside the near post when everyone – especially Trubin – was expecting a cross.

When the match was interrupted Benfica had managed one effort on goal and had won zero corners, while Chelsea had peppered Benfica’s net with 9 attempts (6 on target) and had earned eight corners, the English side dominating possession 60%-40%.

The fireworks began when the teams came back out on the pitch two hours later. Ángel Di María scored a dramatic equaliser from the penalty spot to take the match into extra time, but his Argentine compatriot Gianluca Prestianni was then sent off to put Benfica on the back foot again.

The 10 men of Benfica fought gamely, but goals by Christopher Nkunku, Pedro Neto and Dewsbury-Hall saw Chelsea run out 4-1 winners.

Lage makes two changes

In relation to the team that beat Bayern Munich earlier in the week, Benfica boss Bruno Lage recalled Orkun Kökçü to the starting lineup after their high-profile touchline spat in the game against Auckland City, the Turk replacing Prestianni. Leandro Barreiro and Florentino Luís (in for the injured Renato Sanches) were at the base of midfield in a 4-2-3-1 formation.

Chelsea threatened in the very first minute, the lively Pedro Neto wriggling past Samuel Dahl and shooting from a tight angle but Trubin saved. It was all Chelsea, the London side getting plenty of joy down the left flank with Marc Cucurella and Cole Palmer making life difficult for Fredrik Aursnes, with Ángel Di María offering no defensive support to the adapted right-back.

The Cole and Cucurella show

Cucurella looked certain to score in the 19th minute, the Spaniard given far too much space again but his shot was headed off the goal-line by centre-back António Silva. Moments later Cole Palmer got past Aursnes and fired in an effort from a narrow angle, bringing a sharp save out to Trubin.

Trubin made an even better save later in the half, showing a strong arm to deny Cucurella again when the defender was through one-on-one. It was one-way traffic as an aggressive Chelsea team dominated at will, Benfica’s front four of Kökçü, Di María, Schjelderup and Pavlidis unable to have any effect on the game.

At half time Lage took off Schjelderup and brought on Aktürkoglu but the pattern of the game did not change, and it was no surprise when Chelsea took the lead. Florentino gave away a free kick wide on the left, Palmer and James stood over the ball and it was the Chelsea captain who took responsibility and duly put the EPL team ahead, with Trubin shaking his head in disbelief as he realised his mistake of leaving too big a gap at his near post had proven fatal.

Benfica change tack

Forced to come out of their shell, Benfica at last fashioned a good move, Aursnes going on an enterprising run and rolling the ball into the path of substitute Gianluca Prestianni, but the young Argentinian got his shot from a highly promising position all wrong and the ball dribbled harmlessly wide.

With five minutes to go and an increasingly desperate Benfica throwing more and more players forward the storm clouds gathered above the stadium and as has frequently happened this tournament, the match was interrupted in accordance with US law that forbids public events in a thunderstorm.

Two-hour storm break brings late drama

After two hours waiting for the storm clouds to pass, the players returned to the pitch and the fans to the stands to play out the final minutes… unless Benfica could find an unlikely equaliser to send the game into extra time. Which was exactly what happened!

Di María, playing his final game in a Benfica shirt, won a free kick, played the ball into the box and Malo Gusto was penalised for handball. Di María stepped up and rolled the ball into the net for his fourth goal at the tournament, all scored from the penalty spot.

The Argentine superstar then had the chance for the most dramatic of late winners but his shot was intercepted and the referee blew the whistle to send the tie into extra time.

Given a new lease of life, Benfica and their fans started to believe again, but those hopes were severely damaged when Prestianni was shown two yellow cards in two minutes, the second for a reckless tackle, and was duly sent off.

Remarkably, 10-man Benfica still created chances, Aktürkoglu and Di María coming close on the break, but Chelsea eventually made their extra man advantage count.

Goals by Christopher Nkunku, Pedro Neto and Dewsbury-Hall gave Chelsea a 4-1 final victory, the Blues aided by some suicidal attacking by Benfica who seemed to forget they also had to defend, on top of careless turnovers and another bad Trubin mistake.

Benfica showed heart to come back from the dead but are knocked out after being second best for most of the 120 eventful minutes in Charlotte.

Benfica: Anatoliy Trubin, Fredrik Aursnes (Tiago Gouveia, 85’), António Silva, Nicolás Otamendi, Samuel Dahl, Florentino Luís (Gianluca Prestianni, 70’), Orkun Kökçü (João Veloso, 85’), Ángel Di María, Leandro Barreiro, Andreas Schjelderup (Kerem Aktürkoglu, 46’), Vangelis Pavlidis (Andrea Belotti, 70’)

Chelsea: Robert Sánchez, Reece James (Malo Gusto, 80’), Levi Colwill, Benoit Badiashile (Tosin Adarabioyo, 70’), Marc Cucurella, Moisés Caicedo, Enzo Fernández (Dewsbury-Hall, 80’), Roméo Lavia (Trevoh Chalobah, 86’), Cole Palmer, Liam Delap (Christopher Nkunku, 80’), Pedro Neto