Chelsea advanced to the Club World Cup quarter-finals after a chaotic, drama-filled clash with Benfica that stretched more than four hours and included a two-hour weather delay.
In a match played at Charlotte’s Bank of America Stadium, Christopher Nkunku, Pedro Neto, and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall struck late in extra time to secure a 4-1 win for the Blues, setting up a quarter-final date with Palmeiras.
Things had initially looked routine for Chelsea, who led through Reece James’ superb near-post free-kick in the 64th minute. But with just four minutes left on the clock, play was suspended due to severe thunderstorms in the area. After an agonizing wait of nearly two hours, the teams returned, and Benfica immediately made their mark.
Argentine veteran Ángel Di María, appearing for the final time in Benfica colours, converted a penalty in the 94th minute after a Chelsea handball, leveling the score and forcing extra time.
Benfica’s hopes of completing a shock were soon dented when 18-year-old Gianluca Prestianni received two yellow cards in quick succession — one in the 96th minute and another moments later for a rash challenge on Levi Colwill — leaving the Portuguese side down to ten men.
Chelsea eventually took full advantage of their numerical superiority, hammering home three goals in the second period of extra time to settle the contest.
Despite the thrilling finish, the spectacle drew only 25,929 fans in the 74,867-seat stadium. There was further bad news for Chelsea, with defender Benoit Badiashile forced off injured and later seen on crutches, while Moises Caicedo picked up a second tournament yellow card, ruling him out of the quarter-final.
Chelsea will face Brazilian side Palmeiras in the last eight, kicking off at 2am on Saturday at the Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.
