Delap Breaks Duck as Chelsea Cruise into Club World Cup Last 16

Liam Delap netted his first goal for Chelsea in a comfortable 3-0 victory over Tunisian champions Esperance

Liam Delap netted his first goal for Chelsea in a comfortable 3-0 victory over Tunisian champions Esperance on Tuesday, sealing the Blues’ place in the last 16 of the Club World Cup.

Played in sweltering conditions after a scorching day in Philadelphia, the match turned in Chelsea’s favor during first-half stoppage time with back-to-back goals from Tosin Adarabioyo and Delap.

Tyrique George added a third late on in injury time, wrapping up the win in front of 32,937 fans at Lincoln Financial Field. It was a solid response from Enzo Maresca’s side following their 3-1 loss to Flamengo.

Chelsea secured second place in Group D behind the Brazilian giants, while Esperance’s campaign came to an end.

Reflecting on Delap’s breakthrough goal in his third appearance, Maresca said:
“Against Flamengo, he had three clear chances, which shows he’s getting into the right areas. He’s doing well.

We’ve always believed Liam will score goals for us — there’s no doubt.”

Next, Chelsea will head to Charlotte to take on Benfica on Saturday. The Portuguese side topped Group C after defeating Bayern Munich, setting up a reunion with Chelsea for the first time since the 2013 Europa League final. The winner of that tie will face either Palmeiras or Botafogo in the quarter-finals.

“Benfica are a top team with a top coach and top players — it’s going to be tough,” Maresca added.
“But from 32 teams, we’re now in the last 16. Our next goal is to reach the last eight.”

Needing only a draw to progress, Maresca made eight changes to the starting XI that faced Flamengo. Delap, Enzo Fernandez, and Malo Gusto retained their spots, while Josh Acheampong was among the less familiar names handed a start.

Maresca cited the ongoing heatwave around Philadelphia, where Chelsea have been based, as a key reason for the squad rotation.

“As I said yesterday, rotating was unavoidable — you can’t play every three days in this kind of weather,” he explained.
“The players who came in did well. Now, it’s all about recovery and preparing for the next match.”

“From 32 clubs to 16 — we should be proud. Many of these teams have featured in recent Champions League finals, like Atletico Madrid, who are already out. That shows the level of competition.”

Acheampong, making his 10th appearance of the season, nearly opened the scoring on 36 minutes, forcing a low save from Esperance goalkeeper Bechir Ben Said. Fernandez also came close, shooting narrowly wide from the edge of the box.

Chelsea’s breakthrough came in the third minute of first-half stoppage time when Fernandez floated a free-kick into the box, and Adarabioyo headed it into the bottom corner.

— Challenging Conditions —
Needing a win to stay alive, Esperance’s hopes were dashed just two minutes later. Fernandez was involved again, slipping a pass to Delap, who turned smartly with his back to goal and slotted a low shot past the keeper — a composed finish to open his Chelsea account.

Even with temperatures lingering around 30°C (86°F) late into the evening, the heat continued to test both teams. Changes followed, with Mamadou Sarr and Andrey Santos earning their first Chelsea minutes after joining from Strasbourg.

Chelsea thought they had won a penalty with 15 minutes remaining when Santos’s shot clipped the hand of Yassine Meriah, prompting the referee to point to the spot. However, VAR intervened and overturned the decision.

The Blues eventually got their third deep into stoppage time as substitute George fired a shot that slipped under the goalkeeper — one he’ll feel he should’ve kept out.

“We came up against a world-class team and were outplayed, but we can hold our heads high,” said Esperance coach Maher Kanzari.

Vanguard

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