Chelsea halted only by lightning, beating Benfica as CW quarterfinals await

Al Jazeera

a day ago

Chelsea became the first English side to reach the quarterfinals of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup following a 4-1 win after extra time against the 10-man Benfica in North Carolina.
Reece James scored the opening goal of the game in the 64th minute on Saturday, with a spectacular free kick from a tight angle on the left wing.
Angel Di Maria levelled the match in the fifth minute of stoppage time from the penalty spot after a soft handball decision against Malo Gusto.
Goals from Christopher Nkunku, Pedro Neto and K Dewsbury-Hall restored and sealed Chelsea's advantage in extra time.
It was the least the Blues deserved after dominating the match from start to finish.
The end was heavily delayed, however, when the players were removed from the field of play at Bank Of America Stadium in Charlotte by the referee due to a nearby lightning storm.
The delay was nearly two hours in length, despite only four minutes remaining of the match when the players left the field. Chelsea's players were visibly annoyed by the decision to halt the game so close to the full-time whistle, and with victory in sight.
Unusually high temperatures for the time of year contributed to the inclement conditions. Both the cause and the effect are a concern ahead of the FIFA 2026 World Cup also being staged by the United States next summer.
It is the sixth time a Club World Cup match has been halted due to bad weather.
Common public safety protocols in the US mandate that outdoor sports events are suspended for at least 30 minutes when lightning is seen or thunder heard.
The Blues dominated the possession and the chances, the best of which in the first half fell to Marc Cucurella whose curling effort from just inside the box was headed off the line by by Benfica's Antonio Silva at the back post, with the keeper well beaten.
Cole Palmer drew the finest save from Benfica's Ukrainian keeper, Anatoliy Trubin, when he was slipped into the box and powered a shot at the near post.
Trubin was left red-faced by the moment of magic from James to win the match as the wide player drilled his effort in at the near post, with the keeper seemingly more concerned about a potential cross.
Benfica's leveller – after the lightning delay – came after Gusto left his arms flailing in the air and, although soft, the Video Assistant Referee had little choice but to call the referee to review the decision. Di Maria coolly slotted home the resulting kick, despite the stormy conditions that surrounded the stadium.
The comeback from Benfica, after the heavy delay to the match, was merely a further annoyance to Chelsea, whose job was made all the easier by a second yellow shown to Gianluca Prestianni.
The Benfica forward was booked during the celebrations for his side's equaliser and was then shown a second yellow for a late tackle after only two minutes of extra time.
Palmeiras first to book CWC quarterfinal spot
Paulinho worked his way between a pair of defenders and rolled a shot into the back of the net in extra time earlier on Saturday to put Palmeiras into the quarterfinals with a 1-0 victory over Brazilian league rival Botafogo.
Paulinho, who has made one appearance for Brazil's national team, dribbled through the defence with an inside cut from the right wing in the 100th minute. He then sent a left-footed shot into the lower left corner of John's net.
Botafogo created multiple chances for an equalizer in the final minutes but could not get a goal.
The match at Lincoln Financial Field was full of attacking play, with a combined 35 shot attempts. Palmeiras, however, ended the match with 10 men after defender Gustavo Gomez was given a red card.
Gomez received a second yellow card in the 116th minute after tackling Igor Jesus in midfield to prevent Botafogo from starting a counterattack.
The 33,657 fans in attendance helped set the tone for the match with incessant cheering, bringing the flavour of a South American game to the United States.
'Coach has been saying this since the start of the season that we have a dream and dreaming costs nothing,' Palmeiras defender Bruno Fuchs said after.
'We follow that dream, one game after another. Always thinking about the present, about the next game… We're very happy, we're pleased to have qualified, and as I said, we have to keep dreaming.'