Nicolas Jackson sent off as Chelsea implode against Flamengo
Nicolas Jackson was sent off as Chelsea crashed to a 3-1 loss to Flamengo at the Club World Cup.
Pedro Neto fired the Blues ahead early on but Enzo Maresca's side imploded in the second half in Philadelphia.
Advertisement
The Blues conceded twice and saw Jackson dismissed for a horror tackle in the space of just six minutes after the break.
Their woes were compounded when Wallace Yan wrapped up the scoring late on, adding to earlier goals from fellow substitute Bruno Henrique and veteran Danilo.
The result – played out in front of a crowd of 54,019 at Lincoln Financial Field – left Chelsea with a win and a loss from their two outings in Group D having earlier looked set to take a giant stride towards the last 16.
It made for a disappointing full debut for new striker Liam Delap, who had been brought into the side for Jackson, but a notable scalp for Flamengo manager Filipe Luis, formerly of the London club.
Advertisement
The game got off to lively and feisty start yet while the Brazilians looked more at ease in the heat – 27C at kick-off – they struggled to carve out clear-cut openings.
Former Chelsea midfielder Jorginho did fire over in the early stages but Robert Sanchez was not troubled in goal.
Despite a lack of possession and a subdued performance from Cole Palmer out wide, Chelsea offered a threat on the counter-attack.
Delap went close to opening the scoring when he burst clear and forced Agustin Rossi to palm over.
Chelsea grabbed the lead when Neto benefited from a fortunate ricochet after being struck by an attempted clearance from Wesley.
Advertisement
The Portuguese broke clear from halfway and calmly tucked away his second goal of the tournament from the edge of the box.
Neto almost created another for Delap but his pull-back was cut out by Wesley and Chelsea had a penalty appeal rejected after Enzo Fernandez went down in the area.
Levi Colwill headed clear off the line after a Flamengo free-kick was slung into the area but it was not until the second period the Brazilians began to cause serious problems.
Gerson should have equalised when he cut back inside Colwill to create an opportunity but his mishit shot was intercepted by Trevoh Chalobah. It rebounded to Gonzalo Plata but he somehow poked wide.
Advertisement
Chelsea were inches away from a second when Leo Pereira, under pressure from Delap, clipped the ball narrowly past his own post but the Blues had little control.
They had another escape when Sanchez tipped over from Plata.
The equaliser came just after the hour when Plata headed back across goal and Henrique raced in to pounce at the back post.
Chelsea were reeling and were stung again just moments later as Henrique turned provider to head back a corner for Danilo to volley in.
Nicolas Jackson's foul on Ayrton Lucas earned him a red card (Chris Szagola/AP)
Chelsea's capitulation continued as Jackson, just minutes after coming off the bench, was given his marching orders for a reckless challenge in which he caught Ayrton Lucas on the shin with force.
Yan rubbed salt in the wounds seven minutes from time when he readjusted and tucked home after getting in the way of a shot from team-mate Plata.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
34 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Chivu hoping Inter Milan 'dominate' opposition at Club World Cup
Inter Milan's Romanian head coach Cristian Chivu said he would like his team to be able to dominate opponents eventually (Pablo PORCIUNCULA) Inter Milan coach Cristian Chivu said he wants to forge a team that can dominate opponents ahead of their second Club World Cup clash against Japan's Urawa Red Diamonds on Saturday in Group E. The Italians, runners-up in this year's UEFA Champions League, were held to a surprise 1-1 draw by Mexican outfit Monterrey in their opening game at FIFA's new tournament on Tuesday. Advertisement Chivu, who took over from Simone Inzaghi after the Italian departed for Al-Hilal in the wake of the Champions League final loss to Paris Saint-Germain, said he would like a team that can take control of matches. "I think every coach would love a team that dominates because you need to show your technical ability, you need to show character and personality," explained the former Inter defender. "You need to show that you can dominate the ball, that you can set the tempo, that you can find solutions both when you are moving the ball from side to side and when you're playing a bit more direct. "That's the dream of all coaches, having the game by the scruff of the neck, controlling proceedings." Advertisement Chivu said it would be good if his team could start to show that against Urawa in Seattle, but accepted it might take a bit longer given his recent arrival at the club. "That's what we'd like to do in the near future, maybe even from tomorrow onwards, but even in the near future when we'll have a little bit more time to work on things in a certain way," the Romanian added. rbs/as
Associated Press
35 minutes ago
- Associated Press
Youcef Belaili scores in Esperance's 1-0 victory over LAFC in the Club World Cup
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Yousef Belaili scored in the 70th minute and Esperance de Tunisie beat LAFC 1-0 on Friday night in the Club World Cup to remain in contention to advance and eliminate the California MLS team. LAFC had one final chance to tie it in the 99th minute on Dénis Bouanaga's right-footed shot off a penalty kick just in front, but goalkeeper Béchir Ben Säid smothered it. Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban were in the crowd of 13,651 at 30,000-seat GEODIS Park on a steamy late afternoon. Key moment After a back-and-forth pace, Belaili came through with a right-footed shot from the left side of the box to the bottom left corner through goalkeeper Hugo Lloris' legs. Takeaways Esperance will finish the round Tuesday night against Chelsea, with second place in Group D and a spot in the round of 16 on the line. Not only was LAFC eliminated, it has been shot out in both of its matches. LAFC had two goals wiped out by offsides in the first half. ___ AP soccer:
Washington Post
37 minutes ago
- Washington Post
Youcef Belaili scores in Esperance's 1-0 victory over LAFC in the Club World Cup
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Yousef Belaili scored in the 70th minute and Esperance de Tunisie beat LAFC 1-0 on Friday night in the Club World Cup to remain in contention to advance and eliminate the California MLS team. LAFC had one final chance to tie it in the 99th minute on Dénis Bouanaga's right-footed shot off a penalty kick just in front, but goalkeeper Béchir Ben Säid smothered it. Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban were in the crowd of 13,651 at 30,000-seat GEODIS Park on a steamy late afternoon. After a back-and-forth pace, Belaili came through with a right-footed shot from the left side of the box to the bottom left corner through goalkeeper Hugo Lloris' legs. Esperance will finish the round Tuesday night against Chelsea, with second place in Group D and a spot in the round of 16 on the line. Not only was LAFC eliminated, it has been shot out in both of its matches. LAFC had two goals wiped out by offsides in the first half. ___ AP soccer:
