Chelsea edge Palmeiras, book Club WCup semis
PHILADELPHIA: A late own-goal by goalkeeper Weverton took Chelsea through to the Club World Cup semi-finals on Friday as the Premier League side edged Palmeiras of Brazil 2-1 in a last-eight tie that had been lit up by a moment of magic from young star Estevao Willian. The teenage Brazil forward, who will join Chelsea after the tournament, was eager to impress his future employers and his brilliant 53rd-minute finish cancelled out Cole Palmer's opener in Philadelphia.
But a deflected Malo Gusto cross went in off Palmeiras 'keeper Weverton in the 83rd minute to take Chelsea through to a semi-final showdown with another Brazilian side in Fluminense. 'In the first half we were in control of the game and could have scored more than one goal,' said Chelsea coach Enzo Maresca, dismissing suggestions his team had been fortunate.
'They started the second half better than us and the dynamic of the game changed, but then in the last 25 minutes we were in control again and I think we deserved to win without being lucky.' The scoreline was a repeat of Chelsea's victory when the teams met in the final of the Club World Cup under the tournament's old guise in 2022. 'Overall Chelsea was better. They have better players and a better coach,' admitted Palmeiras coach Abel Ferreira. 'They were lucky with the way they scored the second goal but it can happen in football and we need to accept it and move on.'
Chelsea will now be fancied to go on and reach the final, with Fluminense standing in their way in the last four at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on Tuesday. If not everyone has yet been won over by the tournament, the intensity levels on the pitch are rising as it reaches the business end and there was a big-game atmosphere in Philadelphia. Lincoln Financial Field was almost sold out, with 65,782 fans in attendance despite much of the city having emptied out for the July 4 holiday and long weekend. This game played out to a backdrop of Independence Day fireworks lighting up the sky over the nearby Delaware River, but there were fireworks on the pitch too.
Chelsea lit the spark first, going ahead in the 16th minute thanks to a moment of class from England international Palmer. After drifting into a pocket of space just outside the Palmeiras box, Palmer controlled a Trevoh Chalobah pass on the half-turn, carried on into the area and dispatched a low shot past Weverton.
It was the ideal start for Chelsea, who lost to Flamengo when they last faced Brazilian opposition in the same stadium during the group stage. Maresca added extra Brazilian flavor to the occasion by handing a first start to young midfielder Andrey Santos. With Moises Caicedo suspended, Santos occupied the holding midfield role for Chelsea while Pedro Neto lined up on the right wing, choosing to play despite having to come to terms with the tragic death of his Portugal teammate Diogo Jota on Thursday. — AFP
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Kuwait Times
an hour ago
- Kuwait Times
Mbappe's overhead kick propels Real Madrid to win over Dortmund
PSG set up Club World Cup semi clash with Mbappe's Real Madrid ATLANTA: Nine-man Paris Saint-Germain set up a Club World Cup semi-final clash against their former superstar striker Kylian Mbappe and Real Madrid with a 2-0 victory over Bayern Munich on Saturday in Atlanta. Los Blancos squeezed out Borussia Dortmund 3-2 in New Jersey in the day's other quarter-final clash, with Mbappe on the scoresheet for the first time at the tournament. Luis Enrique's PSG needed to dig deep in front of 67,000 fans at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium after late red cards for Willian Pacho and Lucas Hernandez. The French side won the UEFA Champions League for the first time in their history in May, despite their key player Mbappe departing for Real last year. ATLANTA: PSG's Ousmane Dembele (right) celebrates scoring his team's second goal with Achraf Hakimi during the Club World Cup quarterfinal match with Bayern Munich on July 5, 2025. — AFP photos Young forward Desire Doue, who shone on PSG's road to European glory, and Ballon d'Or candidate Ousmane Dembele got the goals in the second half of an enthralling clash against Vincent Kompany's Bayern, who had two strikes ruled out for offside. The German giants also lost playmaker Jamal Musiala to a horror ankle injury just before half-time, which Kompany said made his 'blood boil' because of how unfortunate it is for the 22-year-old. 'After the first red card it became complicated, then with two players less it was a bit of a lottery,' said a relieved Luis Enrique. PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma and his Bayern counterpart Manuel Neuer both made several excellent saves in a pulsating battle at the air-conditioned, covered venue which allowed both sides' high-pressing, attacking approaches to shine. Players and spectators at both matches observed a minute of silence in honour of Liverpool forward Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva, who tragically died in a car crash on Thursday. PSG's clash with Bayern was FIFA's expanded tournament's biggest heavyweight clash thus far and the game delivered, even if fans had to wait until the 78th minute for the opener. After Harry Kane gave the ball away, PSG surged forward and 20-year-old Doue fashioned some space on the edge of the box before flashing a low strike home at the near post. Bayern were given hope as they hunted for an equalizer when PSG defender Pacho was sent off for a high tackle on Leon Goretzka after 83 minutes. Kane had a goal disallowed for offside, like Bayern's Dayot Upamecano in the first half, and after Hernandez was dismissed for an elbow Dembele tucked home the second in stoppage time, paying tribute to Jota by copying his video-gaming celebration. 'In the first half we showed them who we are and they had problems with us,' said Bayern substitute Thomas Mueller, who played his last game for the club. Borussia Dortmund's Yan Couto fights for the ball with Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe as he scores his team's third goal. Mbappe strikes Real Madrid cruised for the most part against Dortmund before a flurry of goals at the end left them in danger of losing their lead. Xabi Alonso, unbeaten at the helm, shifted back to a four-man defence against Niko Kovac's side, shorn of suspended Jobe Bellingham, who would have loved to face his older brother, Madrid's Jude. The coach decided to leave Mbappe, who missed the three group games after a stomach bug, on the bench and persist with Gonzalo Garcia up front. The 21-year-old striker paid back Alonso for his confidence by grabbing his fourth goal of the tournament after 10 minutes with a close-range finish from Arda Guler's cross. 'He's doing great work for the team ... he's in the right position in the box, he's a proper number nine,' said Alonso. In the 20th minute Fran Garcia doubled Los Blancos' lead, rushing into the box to polish off Trent Alexander-Arnold's dangerous ball across the face of goal. Madrid were cruising to victory until Max Beier drilled home in stoppage time. Real responded, with substitute Mbappe netting his 44th goal of the season with an acrobatic finish from another Guler cross. He paid tribute to the late Jota by making the number 20 with his hands, the Portuguese striker's shirt number at Liverpool. Madrid were not home and dry. Dean Huijsen was sent off for tugging back Serhou Guirassy as he ran through and the Guinea international netted from the spot, but Dortmund had no time to equalize. 'Everything was under control with the result, not conceding much, but the last 10 minutes were kind of crazy,' said Alonso. 'We lost our shape and our intensity, and luckily nothing went wrong.' — AFP
Kuwait Times
an hour ago
- Kuwait Times
Bayern's Musiala out for ‘long period' with broken fibula
ATLANTA: Bayern Munich's German midfielder Jamal Musiala leaves the pitch on a stretcher during the Club World Cup 2025 quarterfinal match between Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich. — AFP PARIS: Bayern Munich playmaker Jamal Musiala faces a 'long period' on the sidelines after he suffered a broken fibula and an ankle dislocation at the Club World Cup, the German champions said on Sunday. The 22-year-old Germany international was hurt in a challenge with Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma as Bayern lost 2-0 in the quarter-finals in Atlanta on Saturday. Coach Vincent Kompany was incensed by the injury but called it an 'accident'. Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer criticized Donnarumma though for being 'reckless'. Musiala was on a flight back to Munich on Sunday morning and will undergo surgery soon, Bayern said in a statement. 'This serious injury and the lengthy lay-off are a real shock for Jamal and us all. This hits FC Bayern,' said sporting director Max Eberl. 'Everyone knows how immensely important Jamal is for our game and what a central role he has in our team. 'Furthermore, there's also a huge human impact and we all feel for him: Jamal has just come back from an injury and will now be out for another long period. He'll get everything he needs from us. 'We'll support him intensively, be by his side and already look forward to when he's back on the pitch.' According to German media, Musiala is expected to miss four to five months and could return just before the end of the year. 'It's a situation where you don't have to go in like that; it's reckless,' Neuer said after the match. 'He accepts the risk of injuring his opponent.' Musiala missed the end of the season, including Bayern's Champions League quarter-final exit to Inter Milan, with a torn hamstring and was not part of Germany's Nations League squad in early June. He returned in time for the Club World Cup and scored a hat-trick off the bench against amateurs Auckland City in a 10-0 win in Bayern's opening game of the tournament. Musiala's absence will be felt by both Bayern and Germany, who will be without one of their key players for their 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign that begins in September. 'Jamal's injury is a big shock for us as well, especially given he had just come back after a muscle injury. We wish him the best for the operation as well as a speedy recovery,' said Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann. — AFP
Arab Times
3 hours ago
- Arab Times
Dashti set to join Al-Qadsiya handball team for the new season
KUWAIT CITY, July 6: Al-Qadsiya handball team is close to completing the signing of Al-Salmiya Club star Haidar Dashti for the upcoming 2025–2026 season, as well as acquiring Hamoud Al-Adwani from Burgan Club. The team kicked off its preparations for the new season early, having already brought in Ahmed Abdulhadi and goalkeeper Mishaal Al-Shatti to strengthen the first-team squad. The club is also actively pursuing three foreign professionals—two of whom will play on the court and one to be positioned as a substitute—under the league's foreign player participation rule for the upcoming season. In addition to foreign reinforcements, the club is relying on a core group of experienced national players, especially after its strong performance last season. The 'Banu Qadis' won the First Division League title, securing promotion to the Premier League, and also made a deep run to the Federation Cup final, narrowly losing to Kuwait Club by a single goal. Its cup journey included notable victories over Al-Fahaheel, Burgan (league runner-up), and Kazma. Given the success of last season, the club is expected to renew the contract of Tunisian coach Amen El Gafsi, who impressed with his tactical leadership and team management throughout the campaign.
