Chelsea players celebrate the victory
Chelsea booked a place in the Club World Cup quarter-finals after an extraordinary 4-1 extra-time victory over 10-man Benfica in Charlotte, North Carolina — a match that lasted over four hours and was interrupted by nearly two hours of weather delays.
The game, played in front of 25,929 fans at the 74,867-capacity Bank of America Stadium, saw Reece James open the scoring with a superb 64th-minute free-kick. Chelsea looked set for a routine win until thunderstorms forced officials to suspend play with four minutes left.
Following a near two-hour delay, Angel Di Maria equalised from the penalty spot in the 94th minute after a Chelsea handball — forcing extra time in his final appearance for Benfica.
Benfica’s hopes faded when Gianluca Prestianni was sent off early in extra time after two rapid yellow cards. Chelsea took full advantage, scoring three late goals through Christopher Nkunku, Pedro Neto, and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall to seal the win.
The match was marred by injury to defender Benoît Badiashile, who left the stadium on crutches, and a suspension for Moises Caicedo, who picked up his second yellow card of the tournament.
Chelsea now face Palmeiras in the quarter-final on Friday in Philadelphia. Benfica, meanwhile, turn attention to their upcoming Champions League play-off and the Portuguese Super Cup against Sporting on July 31.