Club World Cup: Chelsea edge out Benfica after a dramatic night | OneFootball

Club World Cup: Chelsea edge out Benfica after a dramatic night

Chelsea had to dig deep to knock out Benfica (4-1 a.e.t.) and book their place in the quarter-finals of the Club World Cup. It was the end of a truly insane match, punctuated by a weather delay.

Everything changed in the 86th minute. A thunderstorm struck the Charlotte stadium. Match suspended. Two-hour wait. At that point, Chelsea were leading 1-0 thanks to a clever free-kick from Reece James.

But after the restart, everything flipped. Gusto handled the ball in the box. Penalty. Di María kept his cool. 1-1. Extra time.

Benfica kept dreaming. But the nightmare began swiftly. Prestianni saw red for a second yellow. Down to ten men, the Portuguese side retreated. Chelsea pressed. Trubin fumbled a Caicedo shot. Nkunku pounced and found the net.

The floodgates opened. Benfica collapsed. Neto, then Dewsbury-Hall, exploited the space. The scoreline ballooned. The dream was shattered.

In a match where anything seemed possible, Chelsea kept their composure. Benfica, heroic but fragile, couldn’t hold on in the end. It’s the Blues who march on in this Club World Cup.