Maresca accepts Chelsea were second best in Flamengo loss
"Six minutes completely changed the dynamic of the game," Maresca said after Flamengo came from behind to lead 2-1 with two quickfire goals just after the hour mark before Jackson's red card left Chelsea down to 10 men.
Pedro Neto gave the Blues an early lead at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, but Bruno came off the bench to equalise for Flamengo and then set up Danilo to make it 2-1.
Jackson, who had come on as a substitute, was then dismissed for a dangerous tackle on Ayrton Lucas and Flamengo made the most of the extra man as Wallace Yan wrapped up their win late on.
It was Jackson's second red card in a short space of time after he was also sent off in a 2-0 Premier League loss at Newcastle United just over a month ago.
He had started Friday's game on the bench as Liam Delap made a first start for his new club, and the former Ipswich Town player could now have a chance to establish himself as Maresca's first choice up front.
"The red card is nothing to do with Nico's future," said Maresca, who also revealed that Jackson had apologised to his teammates in the dressing room.
"He had the first one at Newcastle when Liam wasn't even here and another one today. Today I am not sure 100 percent that it was a red card, but Nico knows very well that in both situations it was not something good for the team."
Chelsea's hopes of qualifying for the last 16 at FIFA's new competition remain in the balance as they have three points from two games in Group D.
They are three points behind Flamengo and will face Esperance of Tunisia in their last group outing in Philadelphia next Tuesday.
Maresca seemed unperturbed by his team's situation at the Club World Cup and said they had used the match to prepare for the next Premier League season.
"For the first time we played in a different structure today, just to prepare also next season, to have more options," he said of the 4-3-3 formation which featured captain Reece James alongside Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo in midfield.
Cole Palmer played on the right of a front three and struggled to make any impact on the game in the mid-afternoon heat.
"Today the plan was different, I think the plan was quite good for one hour. Then we conceded the goal and then the second one.
"I think in the end, and also with 10 men, they deserved to win the game."
The Italian added: "We expected a tough game because Flamengo is a very good team, with good players and a good manager.
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Pedro Neto had given Chelsea the lead in the first half but Flamengo, roared on by their frenzied supporters who made up the majority of the 54,019 crowd in Philadelphia, did not deserve to be behind and battled back in the second half. Bruno Henrique came off the bench in the 56th minute and equalised just after the hour mark before setting up former Real Madrid, Manchester City and Juventus defender Danilo to make it 2-1. Chelsea were stunned, and their hopes of pulling level again were effectively destroyed when substitute Nicolas Jackson was sent off in the 68th minute for a dangerous tackle on Ayrton Lucas. Wallace Yan, also on as a substitute, then sealed the victory for the Rio de Janeiro club, the Brazilian league leaders, when he made it 3-1 late on. "It was a special day for me and our club," said Flamengo coach Filipe Luis, a former Chelsea player. "We knew we would have chances against Chelsea, because we have one way to play and they know how to follow that path. "I am really happy with the game, but it is just one win. Now we have to think about the next game and try to go through this group phase, because it is not easy." Flamengo have won both matches in Group D and their place in the knockout phase was confirmed later when Esperance of Tunisia defeated Los Angeles FC 1-0 in Nashville. Youcef Belaili scored the only goal of the game in the 70th minute in front of a sparse crowd that included Nicole Kidman. LAFC were last-minute qualifiers after beating Club America of Mexico in a play-off following the decision to ban Leon for violating rules on multi-club ownership. The Major League Soccer side cannot now progress any further. Another weather delay Chelsea and Esperance now each have three points from two games and their meeting in Philadelphia next Tuesday will decide which team joins Flamengo in advancing. "We expected a tough game because Flamengo is a very good team, with good players and a good manager," said Chelsea coach Enzo Maresca. "They play very well, and in Brazil they are top of the league, unbeaten for many games, so it was not a surprise for us." Flamengo's win followed Botafogo's stunning success against European champions Paris Saint-Germain on Thursday, stretching the unbeaten record for South American clubs at the competition to nine matches. A tough test lies in wait for another South American representative, however, as Boca Juniors take on Bayern Munich in Miami in Group C. Bayern, who hammered New Zealand's Auckland City 10-0 in their opening game, can clinch qualification for the last 16 by beating the Argentinians. Earlier, Benfica crushed Auckland 6-0 in Orlando to boost their own hopes of progressing and eliminate the one Oceania representative at the tournament. Angel Di Maria's two penalties bookended the victory for the Portuguese side, with Leandro Barreiro scoring a brace while Vangelis Pavlidis and Renato Sanches got their other goals. The game was the fourth in the past four days to be hit by a weather delay. With Benfica leading by a goal at half-time, the match was interrupted because of a storm, eventually resuming two hours later. "This is the longest game of my career, a special thanks to our fans, who have been here for five hours supporting the team," said Benfica coach Bruno Lage. "We played as well as we could. The temperature made it very difficult."
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"Six minutes completely changed the dynamic of the game," Maresca said after Flamengo came from behind to lead 2-1 with two quickfire goals just after the hour mark before Jackson's red card left Chelsea down to 10 men. Pedro Neto gave the Blues an early lead at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, but Bruno came off the bench to equalise for Flamengo and then set up Danilo to make it 2-1. Jackson, who had come on as a substitute, was then dismissed for a dangerous tackle on Ayrton Lucas and Flamengo made the most of the extra man as Wallace Yan wrapped up their win late on. It was Jackson's second red card in a short space of time after he was also sent off in a 2-0 Premier League loss at Newcastle United just over a month ago. He had started Friday's game on the bench as Liam Delap made a first start for his new club, and the former Ipswich Town player could now have a chance to establish himself as Maresca's first choice up front. "The red card is nothing to do with Nico's future," said Maresca, who also revealed that Jackson had apologised to his teammates in the dressing room. "He had the first one at Newcastle when Liam wasn't even here and another one today. Today I am not sure 100 percent that it was a red card, but Nico knows very well that in both situations it was not something good for the team." Chelsea's hopes of qualifying for the last 16 at FIFA's new competition remain in the balance as they have three points from two games in Group D. They are three points behind Flamengo and will face Esperance of Tunisia in their last group outing in Philadelphia next Tuesday. Maresca seemed unperturbed by his team's situation at the Club World Cup and said they had used the match to prepare for the next Premier League season. "For the first time we played in a different structure today, just to prepare also next season, to have more options," he said of the 4-3-3 formation which featured captain Reece James alongside Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo in midfield. Cole Palmer played on the right of a front three and struggled to make any impact on the game in the mid-afternoon heat. "Today the plan was different, I think the plan was quite good for one hour. Then we conceded the goal and then the second one. "I think in the end, and also with 10 men, they deserved to win the game." The Italian added: "We expected a tough game because Flamengo is a very good team, with good players and a good manager.
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