Chelsea booked their place in the quarter-finals of the Club World Cup after a chaotic, weather-disrupted 4-1 extra-time victory over Benfica at the Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina.
In a match that took four hours and 39 minutes to complete due to a near two-hour lightning delay, goals from Christopher Nkunku, Pedro Neto, and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall in extra time powered Chelsea into the next round, where they will face Brazilian giants Palmeiras.
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Chelsea had taken a late lead in regulation time through Reece James, whose opportunistic free-kick looked enough to seal victory. But just as the game approached its end, a lightning storm over Charlotte halted proceedings for almost two hours, triggering local safety protocols in line with tournament regulations.
“It’s a joke, it’s not football,” Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca fumed after the game. “For 85 minutes we were in control of the game. We created enough chances to win. Then after the break, the game changed for me personally, it’s not football.”
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It was the sixth time in the tournament that a match has been disrupted by extreme weather.
“If you are already suspending six, seven, eight games, it probably means something is not working well,” Maresca added. “In football, it’s not normal to suspend the game like that.”
When play eventually resumed, VAR intervened to award Benfica a dramatic penalty deep into injury time after Malo Gusto was judged to have handled the ball. Veteran Argentine winger Angel Di Maria coolly converted to level the game at 1-1 and send it into extra time.
Down to 10 men after Gianluca Prestianni received a second yellow card, Benfica nearly turned the game on its head in extra time. But Chelsea’s quality finally told.
Nkunku scrambled home Chelsea’s second after a low strike from Moises Caicedo was spilled by goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin, before Neto and Dewsbury-Hall capped the win with late goals on the counterattack to secure Chelsea’s place in the last eight.
Palmeiras on (X)
Paulinho delivers Palmeiras past Botafogo in Brazilian showdown
In Philadelphia earlier in the day, Palmeiras edged out Brazilian rivals Botafogo 1-0 in extra time to also seal a spot in the quarter-finals. The match was a bruising, tense affair decided by a moment of brilliance from substitute Paulinho, who curled home the winner in the 100th minute.
The former Bayer Leverkusen winger, who has battled injury since joining Palmeiras earlier this year, was a second-half substitute; coming on at the same time as teenage sensation Estevao Willian was surprisingly withdrawn.
“I am really happy. Luckily I managed to get the goal,” Paulinho said. “The coach is doing all he can to help me settle into the squad in this difficult time, because I had a serious injury which still causes me pain. There is no time to feel sorry for yourself in this competition. You have to make things happen; and that is what I am doing.”
Botafogo, 2024 Copa Libertadores winners and Brazilian league champions, had already knocked out Paris Saint-Germain in the group stage and qualified ahead of Atletico Madrid. But they lacked the sharpness and rhythm that defined their earlier games.
All eyes were on 18-year-old Estevao, who is set to join Chelsea after the tournament. He showed flashes of brilliance, drawing a fine save and even finding the net before being denied by the offside flag. Still, his substitution in the 63rd minute raised eyebrows.
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Palmeiras had been the more dangerous side, with Richard Rios and Mauricio testing Botafogo keeper John Victor, before Paulinho latched onto a Rios pass and slotted the decisive goal.
Despite a late red card for captain Gustavo Gomez, Palmeiras held firm as Botafogo pushed for an equaliser that never came.
What’s Next?
Palmeiras’ reward for the win is a mouth-watering quarter-final clash with Chelsea, a team brimming with talent and ambition, but now battle-tested after surviving a lightning storm, a VAR drama, and extra-time chaos. For fans, that fixture is one to mark boldly on the calendar.
As for Botafogo and Benfica, their exits will sting; not just for the losses, but for the incredible efforts that went unrewarded. In a tournament already full of twists, Saturday proved again that anything can happen at the Club World Cup.
