Chelsea capitulate against Flamengo as Jackson sees red again | OneFootball

Chelsea’s first game of the Club World Cup in Atlanta might have been devoid of atmosphere and drama, but their second in Philadelphia was certainly not.

The Blues lost 3-1 in what was a disastrous capitulation, having led until the 62nd minute. Flamengo were excellent throughout the game, and ultimately a six-minute spell decided the result, and could have lasting repercussions.

Much is made of the famous South American fan culture, and it did not disappoint. The Lincoln Financial Field holds 67,500 spectators, and whilst it was by no means full, the Flamengo fans made enough noise for you to think it was.

The Brazilian side made a bright start to the game, but shot themselves in the foot after just 13 minutes when an attacking free-kick resulted in the ball being given away. Pedro Neto picked up the ball on the half way line with nothing but grass in front of him and dribbled into the box before making no mistake with a tidy finish past Agustin Rossi.

That seemed a sign of things to come for Chelsea, but the game turned completely on its head in the second half.

Flamengo are managed by ex-Chelsea player Filipe Luis, who spent a fruitful year with the Blues in 2014/15, picking up a Premier League winners’ medal along with a Carabao Cup triumph.

Luis, just 39, has had a meteoric rise in management, only taking on his first role in the dugout in January last year as manager of Flamengo’s under-17 side. It took him five months to become the under 20s manager, then a further four months to then get the main gig as first-team manager.

If that wasn’t impressive enough, his impact since becoming first team manager has been remarkable. He won a treble – the Copa do Brasil, Supercopa do Brasil and the Campeonato Carioca – in less than 30 matches in charge of the club.

And his managerial prowess was on display here. After coming close multiple times, Flamengo registered themselves on the scoresheet in the 62nd minute when Bruno Henrique tapped in. The atmosphere was rocking at this point but the decibel level went off the scale when three minutes later Danilo scored, in almost identical fashion.

Chelsea must have felt it couldn’t get any worse, and then it did. Two minute after that, and only four minutes after coming on to the pitch, Nicolas Jackson was sent off for an over the top challenge on Ayrton Lucas.

The Senegalese striker will face serious competition following the signing of Liam Delap, but he risks taking himself out of the running completely with these silly decisions. It is not the first time and who is to say it will be the last.

Chelsea fans will remember well his red card against Newcastle during the Premier League run-in, which could have been costly in the race for Champions League football. The striker is now suspended in two competitions.

Flamengo then scored a third in the 83rd minute via Wallace Yan, who was in the right place at the right time to slot past Robert Sanchez after a deflection put the ball right into his stride inside the six-yard box.

That goal, in honesty, just added insult to injury. After it went in, Enzo Maresca just shrugged his shoulders and sat down, which summed up Chelsea’s performance.

The Italian didn’t have much to think about, or learn from, after the first game against LAFC, but this performance and result means that qualification into the knockouts is at serious risk. What could have been a dead-rubber next week against Esperance is now of the utmost importance.