Blue Storm in Charlotte: Chelsea Crush Benfica 4-1 to March Into Club World Cup Quarters
Charlotte, North Carolina — In a game that had just about everything—goals, drama, a weather delay, extra time, a red card, and some absolute bangers—Chelsea delivered a resounding 4-1 win over Benfica at the Bank of America Stadium on Saturday to move one step closer to Club World Cup glory.
The victory now sends the Premier League side charging into the quarterfinals where they'll meet either Palmeiras or Botafogo. And if they keep playing like this? Well, don’t be surprised to see them going toe-to-toe with Inter Milan or even Manchester City down the line.
⚡️ Wild Finish in Extra Time: Chelsea Hit Cruise Control
If you bailed early thinking the weather delay killed the momentum—huge mistake. Chelsea absolutely flipped the switch in extra time and left Benfica gasping.
🔥 108' — Christopher Nkunku smashed in the go-ahead after a bizarre sequence that saw Benfica keeper Anatoliy Trubin make an initial save only for the ball to sneak under him. Nkunku’s first swipe got blocked by Otamendi, but he stayed with it and lasered his second effort into the top net from just two yards out.
🔥 115' — Pedro Neto sealed it when Moises Caicedo picked him out with a precise ball down the flank. Neto glanced at Cole Palmer, faked the pass, then sliced one low into the corner. Clinical.
🔥 117' — Kieran Dewsbury-Hall, fresh off the bench, made it 4-1. It was a thing of beauty—a long punt from Robert Sanchez controlled brilliantly by Nkunku, fed to Palmer, and then threaded to Dewsbury-Hall. The finish? Cold and clean.
Just like that, Chelsea outgunned and outclassed the Portuguese giants in Charlotte.
⛅ Rain Delay Madness and VAR Chaos
Before we got to all that extra time glory, this game had already packed in the drama.
With Chelsea leading 1-0 and the clock winding into the 87th minute, Mother Nature decided to show up. A two-hour weather delay halted the action just when it looked like the Blues might skate through with a regulation win.
And then, the game flipped.
VAR spotted a handball on Malo Gusto—a rising header from Otamendi glanced off his outstretched arm. Fair call? Debatable. But the result was a penalty, and Angel Di Maria stepped up post-storm and calmly drilled it home in the 90+5th. Tie game. Extra time. The crowd went nuts.
📕 Red Card Changes the Tempo
Barely two minutes into extra time, Benfica's Gianluca Prestianni got sent off with a second yellow. It was reckless, unnecessary, and proved disastrous for Benfica. From that moment on, Chelsea owned the pitch, and Benfica had to bunker in and hope for penalties. Spoiler: they didn’t make it that far.
🧊 James the Captain, the Sniper
Let’s rewind a bit. The game’s first real moment of magic came courtesy of the captain himself.
63rd minute — Reece James. Free kick. Awkward angle. No problem. James curled a beautiful shot inside the near post, catching keeper Trubin totally off guard. The ball kissed the netting, and the Blues had liftoff.
It was a slick reminder of what a healthy Reece James can bring to the table—power, precision, and pure leadership.
⛔ Heroic Defending Saves Chelsea Early
Benfica had their moments too. In the first half, they came inches from scoring when Liam Delap saw a close-range strike blocked. The rebound fell to Marc Cucurella, who looked sure to score—until Antonio Silva popped up on the goal line with an outrageous clearance. Honestly, it might be one of the best defensive plays of the tournament so far.
📊 Match Flow & Possession Battle
Chelsea dominated possession—clocking over 60%—and outshot Benfica 5-1 in the opening stages. But for most of regulation, the final product wasn’t quite there. They looked good in build-up but lacked that final edge until James broke the deadlock.
Benfica, on the other hand, fought valiantly. They beat Bayern Munich earlier in the group stage and clawed back from 2-0 down to draw Boca Juniors. They had grit. But playing a man down in extra time against a fully-loaded Chelsea side? That’s an uphill battle.
👀 Team News & Tactical Insights
Chelsea Starting XI:
Sanchez; James, Badiashile, Colwill, Cucurella; Lavia, Caicedo, Fernandez; Palmer, Neto, Delap.
With Nicolas Jackson suspended, Maresca went with Liam Delap as the frontman again, and the youngster continued to impress. Cole Palmer pulled the strings in the hole, while Caicedo played an intriguing role—sometimes filling in at right back, sometimes anchoring midfield. It gave the team a flexible shape and freed up others to roam creatively.
Benfica Starting XI:
Trubin; Antonio, Otamendi, Aursnes; Florentino, Schjelderup, Dahl; Barreiro, Di Maria, Kokcu; Pavlidis.
Benfica’s mix of experienced veterans like Otamendi and Di Maria with exciting youth like Kokcu and Schjelderup kept things lively. But they clearly lacked the depth to hang with Chelsea for 120 minutes—especially after going a man down.
🔍 Pre-Match Vibes and Expectations
Coming into this, there were plenty of storylines. Chelsea were still licking wounds from their earlier group stage loss to Flamengo. Benfica had looked sharp but had some defensive frailties. Pundits had this pegged as a tight, tactical matchup.
But after some early jitters and a weather-induced rollercoaster, Chelsea found their rhythm, and when they did—it was lights out for the Portuguese side.
🎯 What’s Next?
Next stop for Chelsea: a clash with either Palmeiras or Botafogo in the quarterfinals.
They’re on the same side of the bracket as Inter Milan and Manchester City, so things are only going to get tougher from here. But if Maresca’s side keeps showing this kind of resolve, especially in clutch moments, you’ve gotta feel good about their chances.
Final Score: Benfica 1 – 4 Chelsea
Scorers:
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Reece James (63’)
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Angel Di Maria (pen 90+5’)
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Christopher Nkunku (108’)
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Pedro Neto (115’)
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Kieran Dewsbury-Hall (117’)
✅ Key Takeaways:
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⚽ Reece James’ free kick was world-class.
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💥 Chelsea outscored Benfica 3-0 in extra time.
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🟥 Benfica’s red card totally changed the game.
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🌩️ Two-hour weather delay added surreal drama.
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🔥 Nkunku and Palmer showed elite creativity under pressure.
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