Chelsea advanced to the Club World Cup quarter-finals after a dramatic 4-1 victory over Benfica in extra time on Saturday, in a match heavily disrupted by adverse weather conditions.
Goals from Christopher Nkunku, Pedro Neto, and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall during the extended period sealed the win for the Premier League side, who will now face Palmeiras of Brazil in the next round.
The match, held at the Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina, spanned an extraordinary four hours and 39 minutes due to a severe storm that caused a nearly two-hour delay — the sixth such weather stoppage in the tournament so far.
Chelsea appeared to be in control following Reece James’ late second-half free-kick, which gave them a 1-0 lead with just minutes left in regular time. However, the game was suspended as storms swept through Charlotte, forcing players and fans to wait out the delay under safety protocols.
Upon resumption, Benfica drew level in injury time after Malo Gusto was penalized for a handball, confirmed by VAR. Angel Di Maria calmly converted the spot-kick, taking the game into extra time.
Down to 10 men following Gianluca Prestianni’s red card at the end of regulation, Benfica still posed a threat before Chelsea regained dominance. Nkunku restored Chelsea’s lead after capitalizing on a goalkeeping error, and with Benfica increasingly stretched, Neto and Dewsbury-Hall added two more to complete a dominant extra-time showing.
Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca praised his team’s control but criticized the lengthy interruption, stating, “It’s a joke, it’s not football… If you are already suspending six, seven, eight games it probably means there is something that is not working well.”
What you should know
Chelsea overcame a weather delay and a late equalizer to defeat Benfica 4-1 in extra time.
The match, disrupted by a storm, highlighted ongoing weather concerns in the tournament but ended with Chelsea’s strong finish sending them into the quarter-finals against Palmeiras.
