Chelsea has made history by becoming the first English team to reach the quarterfinals of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup. The Blues secured a 4-1 win after extra time against 10-man Benfica in North Carolina. Reece James opened the scoring with a spectacular free kick from a tight angle on the left wing in the 64th minute.
Despite dominating the match, Chelsea’s players were visibly annoyed when the game was halted due to a nearby lightning storm with only four minutes remaining.
The delay lasted nearly two hours, and Benfica capitalized on the interruption, equalizing through Angel Di Maria’s penalty kick in the fifth minute of stoppage time. Di Maria coolly slotted home the kick despite the stormy conditions surrounding the stadium.
Chelsea regained their lead and sealed their victory with goals from Christopher Nkunku, Pedro Neto, and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall in extra time. Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni was sent off after receiving a second yellow card for a late tackle, making it easier for Chelsea to secure their win.
Chelsea will face Palmeiras in the quarterfinals after the Brazilian side booked their spot with a 1-0 victory over Botafogo. Paulinho scored the winning goal in the 100th minute, dribbling through the defense with an inside cut from the right wing. Palmeiras ended the match with 10 men after defender Gustavo Gomez received a red card.
Palmeiras defender Bruno Fuchs expressed his team’s satisfaction with qualifying for the quarterfinals, saying, “Coach has been saying this since the start of the season that we have a dream and dreaming costs nothing.
We follow that dream, one game after another. Always thinking about the present, about the next game… We’re very happy, we’re pleased to have qualified, and as I said, we have to keep dreaming.”
Chelsea made history by becoming the first English team to reach the quarterfinals of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup. The Blues secured a thrilling 4-1 win after extra time against Benfica in North Carolina.
Reece James opened the scoring with a spectacular free kick, but Benfica equalized after Ángel Di María converted a penalty. The match was delayed for nearly two hours due to a thunderstorm.
Chelsea dominated extra time, with Christopher Nkunku, Pedro Neto, and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall scoring in the 108th, 115th, and 117th minutes, respectively. Chelsea will face Palmeiras in the quarterfinals, which promises to be a compelling contest between the Conference League winners and the Brazilian giants.