Chelsea beats Benfica in extra time to reach Club World Cup quarters
Charlotte, June 29 (UNI) Chelsea scored three extra-time goals to reach the quarterfinals of the
FIFA Club World Cup with a 4-1 win over Benfica in a match interrupted by bad weather.
Chelsea captain Reece James opened the scoring with a 64th-minute free kick before the match was suspended for almost two hours due to lightning in the Charlotte area on Saturday.
Angel Di Maria equalized from the penalty spot nine minutes after the restart but Benfica was reduced to 10 men early in extra time when Gianluca Prestianni was sent off for a second booking.
Chelsea then opened the floodgates as Christopher Nkunku, Pedro Neto and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall netted in the space of nine minutes, setting up a clash with Brazil's Palmeiras next Friday.
The Premier League side dictated terms early at Bank of America Stadium as Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo controlled the tempo in midfield.
Marc Cucurella was particularly dangerous with his runs down the left wing and the Spain international was unlucky not to score when his curling shot was cleared off the line by Antonio
Silva.
Benfica goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin kept out attempts from Cole Palmer, Neto and Cucurella as the Portuguese club somehow reached the halftime break on level terms.
Chelsea picked up where it left off in the second half, attacking with intent and forcing Benfica's defensive line to retreat deeper.
The Lisbon outfit had a rare foray forward in the 57th minute as Fredrik Aursnes' dangerous cross from the right left Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez scrambling to mop up.
James finally broke the deadlock just after the hour, catching Benfica's defense napping with a quickly taken free kick from the left wing that beat Trubin at his near post.
The London side continued to push, with Palmer and Neto lashing shots wide after finding space around the box.
Despite the energy-sapping heat, Benfica raised its intensity in search of an equalizer. Aursnes was proving lively on Benfica's right flank and Prestianni will have rued his wayward effort from 12 yards after the Norway international's clever run and pass.
The storm delay failed to derail Benfica's late push. Bruno Lage's men were awarded a penalty in the 93rd minute when Malo Gusto was deemed to have handled the ball during a challenge with Nicolas Otamendi following a Di Maria free kick.
The Argentine World Cup winner calmly converted the resultant spot kick to force the match into extra time. But Benfica's momentum was punctured by Prestianni's dismissal as Chelsea regained control.
Nkunku restored his team's advantage in a goal-line scramble after Trubin spilled a tame Caicedo shot. Chelsea was suddenly in top gear and Neto extended the lead by calmly lifting a shot over Trubin after Di Maria was dispossessed in the center circle.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall put the result beyond doubt with a clinical finish on the counterattack following Palmer's through ball.
UNI/XINHUA BM
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