Benfica boss singles out two Chelsea players for praise ahead of Club World cup
Benfica boss Bruno Lage has singled out two key Chelsea players for praise ahead the Club World Cup last 16 tie.
The former Wolves boss is now in charge of Benfica who made it through to the knockout stages after wins against Auckland City and Bayern Munich.
Despite their impressive campaign thus far, the Portuguese club are significant underdogs heading into tonight's game in north Carolina.
Lage is well aware of the threat Chelsea pose, particularly in attack with his compatriot, Pedro Neto, enjoying a fine tournament.
Benfica will also come face-to-face with their former star, Enzo Fernandez, who has grown in stature over the course of the last six months, in particular, after a tough start to his Chelsea career.
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'There was actually a rumour before Enzo came to Chelsea that he was going to join me at Wolves, so that was funny,' said Lage at his pre-match press conference.
'In terms of money, Chelsea have one of the best midfielders in the world.
'But the player I really know is Pedro Neto. He's one of the best wingers in the world. He's so dangerous because he can go either way on the ball.'
Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca, meanwhile, expects Fernandez to get even better as he prepares for a reunion with his former club Benfica.
The 24-year-old scored in the opening win over Los Angeles FC and created two goals in as many minutes as the Blues beat Esperance Tunis 3-0 in their final group game on Tuesday.
Maresca told reporters at his pre-match press conference: 'I'm very pleased with Enzo, especially because, first of all, he's a nice boy. He's polite, he's a good boy.
'Then he's worked very well in all aspects inside the pitch, outside the pitch. Our struggle at the beginning was (for him) to understand the way we want to play.
'But he is doing fantastic in terms of numbers, goal assists. This is what we want from our attacking players.
'I've said many times that I prefer to have the attacking players score 10-12 goal each, rather than just a striker with 40 goals.
'So his contribution this season has been top and I am sure next season will be even better.'
Despite that, Fernandez could face competition for his place after Maresca suggested he sees Brazilian Andrey Santos more as an attacking player than a defensive one. More Trending
The highly-rated 21-year-old has rejoined the club this summer after a successful loan spell at Strasbourg and made his debut as a second-half substitute against Esperance.
Maresca said: 'His season has been very good but I think you need time to adapt.
'In terms of position, I see Andrey in this moment in more like Enzo's position than Romeo's (Lavia) position.
'The Premier League demands (players) to be physically strong. In this moment, I see Andrey more of an attacking player than defensive in the field.'
MORE: Is there a third place play-off at the Club World Cup 2025?
MORE: Enzo Maresca sends transfer message to Chelsea defender and confirms two clubs 'like him'
MORE: Chelsea star could push for transfer after Arsenal and PSG interest
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Times
28 minutes ago
- Times
Chelsea book place in quarter-finals — 4hrs and 38mins after kick-off
A chaotic finish, for a chaotic match. Chelsea scrambled into the Club World Cup's quarter-finals after more than two hours of actual football, plus close on two hours of suspended football. Four hours and 38 minutes to complete, in all. There was lightning, there was VAR controversy, but ultimately they got over the line. Christopher Nkunku scored the goal that put Chelsea on the road to victory. It was that kind of game. Has there ever been one quite like this? Not in the Club World Cup, not in any major competition if memory serves. To have the game suspended for so long due to adverse weather conditions, to have it resume under the pressure of a time window between storms, and then to have a Benfica equaliser scored in such controversial circumstances — a VAR decision that would never have been given in most domestic forms of the game — is surely unique. Credit Chelsea then, for their three goals in the second half of extra time. Finally, they kept their heads, won a game they must have felt was already theirs. We'll get to that. First, the madness. There were five minutes remaining in normal time when the referee, Slavko Vincic, led the players off with lightning in the area and Chelsea in control and leading 1-0. And they did not return for close to two hours. There were several false starts. Predicted times to return scuppered by more lightning. Warm-ups aborted. And as the minutes ticked by so the advantage moved to Benfica. There was almost an air of inevitability about the return. When referee Vincic — Slovenian, over-promoted — brought the teams back on, all the momentum was with the Portuguese. They had been poor to this point. Their best, their only, chance had come when the Chelsea goalkeeper, Robert Sánchez, misjudged a shot from Fredrik Aursnes. Yet here was a free hit. Bonus time. Had the game played out when it should have done, Chelsea would almost certainly have won. Yet Benfica now had nothing to lose. They had four minutes, plus injury time. When six additional minutes were signalled, it was almost as if drama was ordained. Severe weather in the Charlotte area forced play to be suspended on the 86-minute mark for more than two hours… FEDERICO PARRA/AFP So it came. Nicolás Otamendi's header connected with a cross and clipped the extended arm of Malo Gusto. Natural position when jumping? Yes. The sort that gets given in the Premier League. Never. In Fifa competition: penalty. Vincic did not give it but was summoned by the VAR. The moment he jogged to the sidelines, everyone knew. Ángel Di María waited for Sánchez to commit and just slotted his penalty kick to the left. Welcome back, my friends, to the game that never ends. And we can argue the ridiculousness of the situation, of having a tournament in a part of the United States so prone to electrical storms. We can judge the letter of the law and its many travesties, yet the fact remains that once again Chelsea did not pull clear given every opportunity. Chances were squandered — some by Marc Cucurella, playing an extremely attacking role — good positions wasted. Chelsea should have had this wrapped by half-time, by full-time, and certainly within four hours. Instead they went into extra time level, and up against it — even when Gianluca Prestianni was sent off not just for his foul on Levi Colwill but for the equally nasty reaction that followed. What chaos. For Chelsea had been coasting. Their goal was a thing of beauty, too. Minute 62, Reece James sized up the simplest of passes down the flank and bunged it straight into touch. Minute 64, he gave Chelsea the lead with a free kick full of intelligence and class. That's the thing with the best players. They aren't easily fazed, not easily knocked out of their stride. James had already forgotten that duffed pass when he scored. He had already alighted on a redeeming plan. He had spotted Benfica's goalkeeper, Anatoliy Trubin, in a poor position. Trubin was expecting a cross and, for this reason, had left too much room at his near post. He's 6ft 6in, mind, Trubin. It would need to be some special kick to beat him, no matter where he stood. So James took a special free kick. James takes quite a few of them these days since his comeback from injury. One against Bournemouth on January 14 this year, another for England against Latvia in March. And now this. A special goal, a lucrative goal, given helped take Chelsea into the quarter-finals of the Club World Cup. It was thought James could get lost in the various reshuffles of the Maresca era, squeezed out at full back, swamped by sheer numbers in central midfield. That's not going to happen now. He's a player. Chelsea need players. Not just vanloads of players. Proper ballers. MIKE SEGAR/REUTERS So James whipped in his free kick at the near post, Trubin scrambled unsuccessfully, and the game should have been won. It would have been no more than Chelsea deserved. Ultimately, then, justice was done. As extra time spun out, so Chelsea's man advantage showed. Benfica were carved open, three times in nine minutes. Cole Palmer found Moisés Caicedo in the penalty area and his shot squirmed under Trubin towards the goalline. Otamendi first stopped Nkunku but could do no more as he turned the loose ball into the empty net, from a yard. Minutes later, Pedro Neto was left one on one from the halfway line, and made no mistake. For the fourth Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall did the same. So this was a decent afternoon's work that turned into a good night. An eye-catching performance in parts, much improved on Chelsea's group stage form. They have still not hit the heights achieved by Manchester City but this is a team bedding in. Character-building, too. Get through this lunacy and who knows where it ends. Benfica (4-2-3-1): A Trubin 8 — F Aursnes 6 (T Gouveia 86), A Silva 7, N Otamendi 5, S Dahl 5 — F Luis 6 (G Prestianni 70), L Barreiro 6, O Kokcu 6 (J Veloso 85) — V Pavlidis 6 (A Belotti 70), A Di Maria 7, A Schjelderup 5 (K Akturkoglu 46 6). Booked Kokcu, Luis, Pavlidis, Prestianni, Silva, Gouveia. Sent off Prestianni. Chelsea (4-2-2-2): R Sanchez 6 — R James 8 (M Gusto 80), B Badiashile 5 (T Adarabioyo 69), L Colwill 7 (A Anselmino 118), M Cucurella 7 — M Caicedo 8, R Lavia 6 (T Chalobah 85) — C Palmer 7, E Fernández 6 (K Dewsbury-Hall 81) — P Neto 7, L Delap 7 (C Nkunku 80). Booked M Caicedo. C Palmer.
The Guardian
31 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Nkunku extra-time goal sees Chelsea through to Club Word Cup last eight after four-hour match
The never-ending season had the never-ending game. This was Chelsea's 61st game of a gruelling campaign and they emerged victorious only after the competing forces of the erratic American weather and the pedantic interference of VAR dragged it into extra-time at the Bank of America Stadium. There cannot have been a weirder denouement to a football match. There was a delay lasting close to two hours because of a thunderstorm, a contentious equalising penalty from Benfica after play resumed, a red card and, perhaps least expected of all, a winning goal from Christopher Nkunku to send Chelsea through to the last eight of the Club World Cup. They all streamed off Chelsea's bench when the France forward stuck the ball into the net in the 108th minute. Nkunku, who is up for sale after falling from favour, had put Enzo Maresca's side 2-1 up after pouncing when Moises Caicedo's shot squirmed from Anatoliy Trubin's grasp. They will face Palmeiras next and will see a chance to reach the semi-finals after making it through a barmy contest. It should not have been this complicated. Ahead through a thunderbolt of a free-kick from Reece James, Chelsea were within touching distance of beating Benfica in normal time. The game was done. Benfica, displaying none of the vim that saw them beat Bayern Munich, were poor. Presumably it was not part of their plan when play stopped with five minutes to go, the Slovenian referee sent the players down the tunnel and the 25,929 fans at the Bank of America Stadium were ordered to seek cover after lightning struck within a 10-mile radius. Severe weather protocol implemented, there was no option but to wait. And wait. Chelsea were cruising until the sky over Charlotte went dark. The protocol involves a minimum 30-minute delay but the clock reset after every lightning strike. An idea: if you're in an area prone to dangerous weather, build a stadium with a roof. Time dragged on, good news elusive. The game did not resume for one hour and 53 minutes. The teams had spent the time keeping themselves warm in their dressing rooms. Unfortunately there were no individual walkouts when they returned to the pitch. With another weather system on the way, the decision was made to ignore the protocol and get the game done. They rushed through a warmup, Chelsea brought Trevoh Chalobah on for Romeo Laiva and play restarted with a Robert Sanchez free-kick. Desperation took over. Six minutes were added on, Benfica won a free-kick and pumped the ball into the Chelsea area. Malo Gusto leapt with his arms outstretched but mistimed his jump. Soon Benfica were appealing for a penalty, claiming the Chelsea defender had handled when Nicolas Otamendi headed on. Play carried on but not for long. It was that kind of night. A VAR review was inevitable. Gusto was culpable under the laws and it was heading for extra-time when Angel Di Maria, still going strong at the age of 37, stepped up to send Robert Sanchez the wrong way from the spot with 95 minutes on the clock. Chelsea could have cracked at that point. Instead, Benfica lost their cool. They were down to 10 men when the substitute, Gianluca Prestiani, was sent off after picking up a second booking for fouling Levi Colwill. The game became ragged and Chelsea pounced on the wide open spaces. Nkunku popped up after Caicedo won possession and surged through on goal. Further goals from Pedro Neto and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall ensured that the final score was 4-1, reflecting Chelsea's dominance. Sign up to Football Daily Kick off your evenings with the Guardian's take on the world of football after newsletter promotion They have developed an encouraging knack for winning by any means possible, which is a good trait to bring into tournament football. Next up, a return to Philadelphia to face Palmeiras, means a chance to have a close look at Willian Estevao. The Brazilian prodigy joins Chelsea after this tournament and can hasten the transfer by sending his next club back to London on Friday. Before the lightning farrago, Maresca had experimented. Cole Palmer's positioning on the left allowed Caicedo, Enzo Fernandez and Lavia to start in the same midfield for the first time since the opening day of last season. The idea was to find space against Benfica's wing-back's system. Palmer drifted off the flank and Marc Cucurella pushed up the left, more winger than full-back at times. Cucurella was positive and had Chelsea's best two chances of the first half. It was hot at kick-off. A sticky pitch was full of weird bounces. Chelsea had to remain patient. Frustration set in at the start of the second half. Caicedo ruled himself out of the quarter-final after picking up a booking for dissent. It took ingenuity to pick the lock. From a free-kick way out on the left, James sized up the angles and caught Trubin out at his near post, shooting when everyone expected a cross. It was the captain's third free-kick of 2025. That was a minor detail. The lightning took over. Extra-time was fun, Palmer testing Trubin, Di Maria leading a series of counterattacks. Yet Prestiani's folly cost Benfica. Eventually Chelsea made their extra man count. Nkunku, who seems to have no place in Maresca's system and had come on for Liam Delap merely to see Chelsea over the line when it was 1-0, scored from three yards out. Neto and Dewsbury-Hall then ran through to score with polished finishes. It took four hours and 38 minutes to complete. Chelsea march on.
Reuters
34 minutes ago
- Reuters
Extra time goals see Chelsea down 10-man Benfica to advance to quarters
CHARLOTTE, North Carolina, June 29 (Reuters) - Chelsea scored three times in the second period of extra-time to hand 10-man Benfica a 4-1 defeat in Charlotte in their weather-affected last 16 Club World Cup clash on Saturday as the English side set up a quarter-final meeting with Brazil's Palmeiras. Christopher Nkunku, Pedro Neto and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall scored in a nine minute spell to take Enzo Maresca's side through after the teams had been forced off the pitch for almost two hours due to a lightning storm. Chelsea had taken the lead through Reece James in the 64th minute while Benfica's Gianluca Prestianni was sent off two minutes into injury time. But Angel di Maria scored from the penalty spot three minutes later to salvage a draw for the Portuguese side, taking the game into extra-time from where Chelsea eventually prevailed to set up their meeting with Palmeiras on Friday.
