In a 3-0 victory over Tunisian champions Esperance on Tuesday, Liam Delap scored his first goal for Chelsea, moving them into the last 16 of the Club World Cup.
Tosin Adarabioyo and Delap scored two goals in stoppage time in Philadelphia to cap a game that was played in sweaty conditions at the end of a blisteringly hot day.
At the conclusion of the game, when Enzo Maresca’s side recovered from a 3-1 defeat to Flamengo, Tyrique George added the third in injury time in front of 32,937 fans at Lincoln Financial Field.
While Esperance were eliminated, Chelsea moved into second place in Group D, behind the Brazilian giants.
When Delap was asked about his first goal in his third game, Maresca responded, “He has three clear chances to score goals against Flamengo, so that means he is there, in the right position, and doing well.”
We have no doubts about Liam’s ability to score goals with us.
The Premier League side will now travel to Charlotte on Saturday to face Benfica, who had earlier defeated Bayern Munich to take the top of Group C.
The winners of that tie will face either Brazil’s Palmeiras or Botafogo of Brazil in the final eight of the club’s first meeting since Chelsea beat Benfica in the 2013 Europa League final.
“Benfica is a top club with a top manager and top players, and it will be difficult,” Maresca said. “We are currently in the last 16 and the next goal is to try to be in the last eight.
After the Flamengo defeat, Maresca made eight changes to his starting lineup, making Chelsea only need a draw to advance.
Josh Acheampong was one of the few unheard faces who had a chance, while Delap, Enzo Fernandez, and Malo Gusto kept their places.
Maresca explained that Chelsea’s squad rotation was unavoidable due to the heat wave that existed in and around Philadelphia.
Because playing every three days in these circumstances is impossible, I said yesterday, “It was impossible to not rotate players.”
“The players were good, and it’s important to regain our energy and try to win the following game.”
We need to be proud and happy because 32 clubs were present at this tournament, and they are now 16 and represent organizations that have competed in the Champions League finals for the past five or six years, like Atletico Madrid, who are already (back) in Spain.
Acheampong, who is making his 10th start of the season, had a low-pass saved by Esperance goalkeeper Bechir Ben Said on 36 minutes to make it close.
Chelsea controlled the opening period until the third minute of stoppage time when Fernandez fired wide from the edge of the box.
Adarabioyo scored with a header into the bottom corner after Fernandez floated a free-kick into the area.
READ MORE: Atletico Crash Out Of Club World Cup Despite Win Over Botafogo
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Esperance needed to win, and Chelsea’s hopes were boosted when Chelsea scored again two minutes later.
Delap was the new signing from Ipswich Town, who controlled with his back to goal, turned and slotted a low shot into the net to match his new colors. Fernandez was once more the provider.
Conditions remained challenging late into the evening with temperatures still hovering close to 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit).
Mamadou Sarr and Andrey Santos had their first Chelsea minutes since joining from Strasbourg, but both teams made changes.
When the referee pointed to the spot after a Santos shot brushed the hand of Yassine Meriah, Chelsea thought they had a penalty 15 minutes later, the decision was overturned following a VAR check.
At the conclusion of the game, George, another substitute, found the net with a shot that the goalkeeper should have stopped, which was close to the scoring.
“We faced a team from the highest level, and we were dominant,” Esperance coach Maher Kanzari said.
Source: Channels TV
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