Flamengo Stun Chelsea with Thrilling 3-1 Comeback at Club World Cup
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Flamengo produced a sensational second-half comeback to defeat Chelsea 3-1 in Friday's Club World Cup clash, continuing an impressive run for South American sides at the tournament.
Pedro Neto opened the scoring for Chelsea in the first half, capitalizing on a defensive slip by Wesley to slot home his second goal of the competition. But despite trailing at the break, Flamengo looked the better side, backed by a passionate contingent of red-and-black-clad supporters among the 54,000-strong crowd at Lincoln Financial Field.
The Brazilian champions turned the game on its head after the interval, with substitute Bruno Henrique proving the catalyst. Introduced in the 56th minute, the 34-year-old Brazilian veteran equalized just six minutes later, heading home after a clever setup by Gonzalo Plata and Gerson.
Henrique wasn’t done. In the 65th minute, he nodded a corner down into the path of Danilo, who calmly slotted home to give Flamengo the lead. The Chelsea defense, rattled by the shift in momentum, suffered another blow moments later when substitute Nicolas Jackson received a straight red card for a reckless challenge on Ayrton Lucas.
Flamengo sealed the result in the 83rd minute. A deflected shot from Plata fell perfectly for substitute Wallace Yan, who rifled it in to cap off a dominant second-half display.
With two wins from two, Flamengo now sit comfortably atop Group D and are on the verge of securing a spot in the knockout stage. Chelsea, who won their opener against LAFC, must now beat Tunisia’s Esperance in their final group game to keep their hopes alive.
This result follows Botafogo’s shock win over European giants Paris Saint-Germain on Thursday, extending the unbeaten streak for South American clubs at the revamped tournament to nine matches.
Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca had made four changes from the LAFC match, including handing new signing Liam Delap his first start. Delap had an early attempt tipped over, but it was Neto who struck in the 13th minute after exploiting a defensive lapse.
Despite early dominance, Chelsea faded after halftime as Flamengo took full control. Robert Sanchez did his best to keep the Blues in the match, but the relentless pressure and numerical disadvantage proved too much.
With their hopes now hanging in the balance, Chelsea must regroup quickly ahead of a decisive clash against Esperance.
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