Chelsea Beats Palmeiras 2-1, Secures Club World Cup Semifinal Berth/ Newslooks/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Morning Edition/ Chelsea edged Palmeiras 2-1 in Philadelphia to advance to the Club World Cup semifinals. Malo Gusto’s late shot, deflected into an own goal, secured victory after Cole Palmer opened scoring and Estêvão equalized. Chelsea now faces Fluminense in East Rutherford.
Chelsea Club World Cup Win Quick Looks
- Chelsea beats Palmeiras 2-1 in Philadelphia quarterfinal.
- Malo Gusto’s deflected shot credited as own goal.
- Cole Palmer scores first Club World Cup goal.
- Palmeiras’ Estêvão equalizes against his future team.
- Chelsea faces Fluminense in semifinal clash next week.
- Over 65,000 fans attend amid busy holiday events.
- Chelsea’s Delap, Colwill suspended due to yellow cards.
Deep Look
Chelsea Advances To Club World Cup Semifinals With Dramatic 2-1 Win Over Palmeiras
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Chelsea booked their ticket to the Club World Cup semifinals on Friday night, edging Brazilian side Palmeiras 2-1 in a thrilling match before 65,782 fans at Lincoln Financial Field.
The decisive moment arrived in the 83rd minute when Malo Gusto’s shot after a short corner deflected off Palmeiras defender Agustin Giay and goalkeeper Weverton before crossing the line. FIFA officially recorded it as an own goal by Weverton, sending the Chelsea supporters into raucous celebration.
“I’m buzzing we’re through,” said Chelsea’s Cole Palmer. “It’s good to be the last English team and hopefully we can win it. There was a lot of fans tonight. More than usual than we’ve played. So it was nice.”
Palmer had earlier put Chelsea ahead in the 16th minute, collecting a pass from Trevoh Chalobah and expertly guiding the ball inside the far post. It marked Palmer’s first goal in the Club World Cup and showcased why he’s considered one of football’s brightest young talents.
Estêvão Shines Against Future Club
Palmeiras equalized in the 53rd minute through 18-year-old Estêvão, who angled a shot past the Chelsea defense to score against the very club he’ll soon join. Estêvão agreed last summer to transfer to Chelsea once he turned 18 and shared a friendly postgame huddle with his future teammates, including Palmer.
“Tonight will be a very difficult night to sleep because we’ll feel like we could’ve done something different,” said Palmeiras goalkeeper Weverton.
Crowded Holiday Weekend And Future Matches
The match took place during a packed holiday weekend in Philadelphia, overlapping with a Phillies baseball game, a citywide workers’ strike, and festivities near the Philadelphia Museum of Art. FIFA lowered ticket prices as low as $11.15 to attract fans, and FIFA President Gianni Infantino was in attendance for the tournament’s eighth game at the NFL champion Eagles’ home stadium.
Chelsea’s semifinal awaits next Tuesday in East Rutherford, New Jersey, against Fluminense, who earlier defeated Al Hilal 2-1 thanks to Hércules’ 70th-minute winner.
However, Chelsea will be without Liam Delap and Levi Colwill, both suspended for the semifinal after picking up their second yellow cards of the tournament. Captain Reece James also missed the quarterfinal due to injury.
Before kickoff, the stadium honored Liverpool’s Diogo Jota and his brother André Silva, who tragically died this week in a car crash in Spain.
Chelsea fans will be hoping for more heroics as their team chases Club World Cup glory in the semifinal round.
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