Chelsea advanced to the quarter-finals of the Club World Cup with a 4-1 victory over Benfica in extra time during a dramatic last-16 encounter marred by severe weather delays.
The match, played at the Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina, lasted four hours and 39 minutes due to a near two-hour suspension caused by a storm. Chelsea eventually secured their place in the next round, where they will face Brazilian side Palmeiras.
Reece James gave Chelsea a 1-0 lead with a free-kick in the second half, and the Premier League side looked poised for victory before a weather delay halted the game. Upon resumption, Benfica equalised in stoppage time through a penalty converted by Ángel Di María, awarded after a VAR review for a handball by Chelsea substitute Malo Gusto.
In extra time, Chelsea regained control. Christopher Nkunku restored the lead, capitalising on a loose ball after a shot from Moises Caicedo. Pedro Neto then made it 3-1 with a composed finish in the 114th minute, before Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall sealed the result three minutes later.
Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca criticised the extended delay, calling the situation unacceptable.
“I think it’s a joke, it’s not football,” Maresca said. “For 85 minutes we were in control of the game. We created enough chances to win the game. Then after the break, the game changed — for me personally, it’s not football.”
The game marked the sixth weather-related disruption during the Club World Cup tournament.
Despite being reduced to 10 men after Gianluca Prestianni’s second yellow card at the end of regulation, Benfica continued to press but were undone by Chelsea’s clinical counter-attacks in the closing stages.
Chelsea now advance to face Palmeiras in the quarter-finals.
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