Chelsea FC beat Esperance 3-0 at Lincoln Financial Field on Wednesday (IST) to qualify for the knockout stage of the FIFA Club World Cup 2025.
With CR Flamengo having already won Group D to advance, the Blues next face Group C winners SL Benfica in Charlotte on 28 June, after the Portuguese side secured top spot with a 1-0 victory against FC Bayern Munchen.
Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca made eight changes the team that had lost 3-1 to Flamengo. With the Londoners only needing a draw to go through and Espérance sitting back and looking to counter, the circumstances made for an uneventful first half until Chelsea struck twice before half-time.
Enzo Fernandez played provider on both goals. In the third minute of stoppage time, the Argentinian midfielder chipped a free-kick to Tosin Adarabioyo, whose free header in the box dropped inside the far post.
Espérance goalkeeper Bechir Ben Said was left standing again two minutes later. Fernandez lofted a ball to newly signed striker Liam Delap, who turned his marker and dribbled into space to slot a shot into the open net for a 2-0 Blues advantage.
Maresca used the second half to play some of Chelsea’s bright young talents. Midfielder Dario Essugo and striker Marc Guiu came off the bench in the 59th minute, and winger Tyrique George and midfielder Andrey Santos entered the game in the 67th minute. Defender Mamadou Sarr was an 82nd-minute substitute.
George made it 3-0 Chelsea with a blistering strike just before the final whistle.
The outcome was never in doubt after those late first-half goals, and the Blues head into that Benfica showdown in Charlotte with confidence restored.
Elsewhere, CA Boca Juniors exited the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 as Auckland City FC scored their first goal at the tournament and collected a hugely unexpected first point in Nashville.
Wallace Yan secured a dramatic last-gasp draw for CR Flamengo, just two minutes after Denis Bouanga thought he had grabbed LAFC’s first victory of the FIFA Club World Cup 2025. This game was a dead rubber, with LAFC already eliminated and Flamengo confirmed as Group D winners.
Benfica beat Bayern to top Group C
Benfica secured the top spot in Group C of the FIFA Club World Cup after a narrow 1-0 win over Bayern Munich in their final group fixture here on Wednesday (IST), thanks to a series of crucial saves by goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin.
Already assured of a last-16 place after back-to-back wins against Auckland City and Boca Juniors, Bayern needed only a draw to win the group. Head coach Vincent Kompany opted to rotate heavily, making seven changes to the starting lineup. Key players Harry Kane, Michael Olise, Kingsley Coman, and Joshua Kimmich began on the bench, while 19-year-old summer signing Tom Bischof from Hoffenheim made his debut.
Benfica broke the deadlock in the 13th minute, as Andreas Schjelderup slotted home a Fredrik Aursnes cross from the right wing, reports Xinhua.
With no attempt on target in the first half, Kompany brought on Kane, Olise, and Kimmich after the break.
The substitutes made an immediate impact. Kimmich’s long pass sent Leroy Sane through one-on-one, but his shot was denied by Trubin, who then made another key save to stop Thomas Muller moments later. Kimmich nearly leveled the score in the 61st minute with a low strike from outside the box, but Kane was offside while standing in front of the goalkeeper.
The Bundesliga champion kept up the pressure but couldn’t find the equalizer, as Trubin again denied Sane from close range just minutes before the final whistle. Bayern drops to second in the group after the loss and will face Group D winner Flamengo in Miami on Sunday in the last-16. Benfica will host either Chelsea or Esperance de Tunis in Charlotte on Saturday.
The other Group C match between Auckland City and Boca Juniors in Nashville was suspended due to potential lightning strikes after Christian Gray scored Auckland City’s first goal of the tournament, leveling the score at 1-1.