An opening round victory over Los Angeles FC set them on the right path but a hugely disappointing and fiery 3–1 defeat to Flamengo in their subsequent outing threatened their place in the last 16. Fortunately, ES Tunis posed little resistance in Chelsea’s final Group D outing, with a 3–0 victory confirming their progression.

Chelsea will take on Palmeiras in the quarter-finals of the FIFA Club World Cup after an eventful 4-1 extra-time win over Benfica.Reece James had fired Chelsea ahead with a free-kick whipped inside

Chelsea coach Enzo Maresca criticized FIFA for holding the Club World Cup in the United States after his club’s match against Benfica was delayed for two hours due to lightning and took nearly five hours to complete.