Delap enjoys strong debut as Chelsea beat LAFC in front of 50,000 empty seats | OneFootball

It had been unclear how much interest there would be in the USA for the revamped Club World Cup, but Chelsea’s opening game victory over LAFC was certainly not a positive reflection on the new tournament.

Hosted at the Mercedes-Benz stadium in Atlanta, which hold 71,000 people, the official attendance was given at just 22,137. The decision to hold the match in the middle of a working day undoubtedly played a part in the low turnout.

The tempo to the game itself was pre-season like and the atmosphere, apart from 100 or so LAFC ultras, was non-existent.

Chelsea’s players struggled to create much intensity in the first half. Noni Madueke in particular was trying tricks and flicks that he does not normally, and the game lacked a competitiveness.

Pedro Neto sparked the game into life in the 34th minute with a lovely solo goal, though, latching on to Nicolas Jackson’s pass before chopping inside Ryan Hollingshead, leaving him for dead, and calmly firing past the hapless Hugo Lloris.

Despite the odd occasion, there were at least some positives on the pitch for Chelsea, most of all the performance of their new number nine. Liam Delap entered the fray in the 64th minute and registered his first assist only 15 minutes later, placing a pinpoint cross into the path of substitute Enzo Fernandez to finish past Lloris.

All eyes were on the Englishman and he certainly delivered on his debut. He was physical, constantly ran at the LA defence, and has staked his claim to be the starting striker for the Blues instead of Nicolas Jackson. Chelsea fans will now be hoping Delap starts in the upcoming Club World Cup games after what was a brilliant cameo.

Neto and Fernandez also impressed, with the former receiving the ‘Superior player of the match’ award (man of the match) in Georgia.

It might have been a good start to the tournament for Chelsea, but FIFA will be hoping supporter numbers pick up given the investment that has gone into the tournament. Atlanta United, who normally play at the Mercedes-Benz stadium, average 44,000 fans per game, emphasising just how low the attendance for this game was.

Blues boss Enzo Maresca too admitted it was an odd situation for his players. “I think the environment was a bit strange, the stadium was almost empty, not full,” he said.

“We are professional and we have to adapt to the situation, to the environment. You have to adapt when you play with a full stadium. You have to adapt when the stadium is not full but it doesn’t matter.”