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Chelsea became the first English team to reach the quarter-finals of the FIFA 2025 FIFA World Cup after a 4-1 victory after an additional time against the 10-man Benfica in North Carolina.
Reece James scored the first goal of the match in the 64th minute on Saturday, with a spectacular free kick from a tight angle on the left wing.
Angel Di Maria leveled the match at the fifth minute of the penalty point time after a gentle handball decision against Malo Gusto.
The goals of Christopher Nkunku, Pedro Neto and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall restored and sealed the advantage of Chelsea in addition to time to organize a quarter-final meeting with Palmeiras.
The result was the least that the blues deserved after dominating the match from start to finish.
The end was strongly delayed, however, when the players were withdrawn from the game of the game at the Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte by the referee due to a nearby lightning storm.
The delay was almost two hours long, despite only four minutes from the end of the match when the players left the field. Chelsea players were visibly bored by the decision to stop the game so close to the full -time whistle and with the victory in sight.
Unusually high temperatures for the period of the year have contributed to unnecessary conditions. The cause and effect are a concern before the FIFA World Cup 2026 also staged by the United States next summer.
This is the sixth time that a club World Cup match has been interrupted due to bad weather.
Common public security protocols in the United States force that outdoor sporting events are suspended for at least 30 minutes when lightning is seen or heard.
The blues dominated possession and the chances, the best of which fell in first half fell to Marc Cucurella whose curling effort of just inside the box was led by the line by Antonio Silva from Benfica to the rear post, with the well-beaten goalkeeper.
Cole Palmer pulled the best backup of the Ukrainian goalkeeper of Benfica, Anatoliy Trubin, when he was slipped into the box and propelled a shot to the nearby post.
Trubin was left to the red face at the time of James’ magic to win the match while the wide player pierced his effort at the nearby post, the goalkeeper apparently more concerned with a potential cross.
The Benfica level – after the lightning time – came after Gusto left his arms in the air and, although gentle, the assistant video referee had no choice but to call the referee to review the decision. Di Maria coldly broke the house of the resulting kick, despite the stormy conditions surrounding the stadium.
The return of Benfica, after the heavy delay of the match, was only another discomfort for Chelsea, whose work was made the easiest by a second yellow shown in Gianluca Prestianni.
The Benfica striker was reserved during the celebrations of the equalizer of his team and was then shown a second yellow for a late tackle after only two minutes of additional time.
Palmeiras first to book a quarter -final CWC
Paulinho made his way between a pair of defenders and launched a shot at the back of the net in more time earlier on Saturday to put Palmeiras in the quarter-final with a 1-0 victory against the Brazilian league rival Botafogo.
Paulinho, who made an appearance for the Brazil national team, drubblored La Défense with an interior cup of the right wing in the 100th minute. He then sent a left shot in the lower left corner of John’s net.
Botafogo has created several chances for an equalizer in the last minutes but could not get a goal.
The match at Lincoln Financial Field was full of attack games, with a combined attempt of 35 shots. Palmeiras, however, ended the match with 10 men after defender Gustavo Gomez received a red card.
Gomez received a second yellow card in the 116th minute after tackling Igor Jesus in the midfield to prevent Botafogo from starting a counterattack.
The 33,657 fans present helped set the match with incessant applause, bringing the flavor of a South American game to the United States.
“The coach says that since the start of the season that we have a dream and that the dream costs nothing,” said the defender of Palmeiras, Bruno Fuchs.
“We follow this dream, a game after another. Always thinking about the present, the next game … We are very happy, we are happy to have qualified, and as I said, we must continue to dream.”
