The game, played in hot and humid conditions at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, was a rollercoaster of drama, that featured a spectacular free kick, a controversial penalty, a red card and a late flurry of goals that propelled Chelsea into the quarter-finals of the tournament where they will face Palmeiras.
Chelsea dominated much of the match, thanks to a Benfica side that decided to sit back and try to repel their attack, but a lightning storm in the 86th minute disrupted the game, leading to a chaotic finish to regulation time and an extended extra-time period. Despite Benfica’s resilience and a late equalizer, going down to ten men just two minutes into additional time, sealed their fate.
Chelsea controlled much of the possession of the first half and created the better chances with Marc Cucurella’s curling effort cleared off the line by Benfica defender Antonio Silva, followed by a Cole Palmer powerful near post shot that was turned away by Benfica’s goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin and the game went into the half scoreless. Benfica, led by veterans Angel Di María and Nicolas Otamendi, relied on counter-attacks but struggled to penetrate Chelsea’s defense.
Reece James would break the deadlock with a stunning free kick from a tight angle at the 64 minute mark, curling the ball into the near post past a poorly positioned Trubin. The the lightning storm would sound arrive sending the players off the field and onto exercise bikes to stay active during the delay.
After the restart, Benfica capitalized on a VAR decision which clearly showed Malo Gusto with his arm in an abnormal position, awarding the club a penalty on a handball in the box. Angel Di María, in his final match for Benfica, calmly converted the penalty for his fourth goal of the tournament to level the score and take the game to additional time.
Early in extra time, Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni received a second yellow card for a reckless challenge just outside the box, reducing Benfica to 10 men. This shifted the momentum firmly in Chelsea’s favour, who capitalized on their man advantage.
Christopher Nkunku restored Chelsea’s lead, in the second half of additional extra time capitalizing on a scruffy rebound after Trubin parried Moises Caicedo’s shot. A lucky bounce off of Nkunku as Otamendi slid and tried to clear the trickling ball from goal, saw the Chelsea attacker lift the ball over the downed defender.
Pedro Neto scored Chelsea’s third, racing clear down the right and curling a precise shot past Trubin after an exhausted Di Maria was dispossessed in midfield. This goal effectively sealed the match, with Neto continuing his fine form.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall added gloss to the scoreline with a delicate chip over Trubin after a long ball from goalkeeper Robert Sánchez caught Benfica pressing for a goal. The goal highlighted Benfica’s exhaustion from sitting back all game in the torrid heat.
Bruno Lage's showed once again that he is not the coach for this club with his small team tactics. Benfica relied on a compact defensive structure and counter-attacks that were far and few in between. There lack of play development from the midfield was noticeable all game and they failed to take advantage of a fragile Chelsea back line.
The red card in additional time and fatigue that was griping the squad, lead to an additional extra time disaster and an exit from the Club World Cup at the round of 16 stage for the Lisbon club.
Benfica's failed usage of starting left back Alvaro Fernandez all game added many more questions of Lage's tactics and his insistence on using a very green and anxious 19 year old Prestianni over more seasoned players in Bruma and Tiago Gouveia proved costly to the club.
Benfica players will now get some time off before returning to camp to prepare for the Portuguese Super Cup on July 31 and the club's front office will need to shore what is a pressing need in the club's midfield if they are to have success in the upcoming season.
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