Chelsea Fumbles Away Club World Cup Lead in Wild Six-Minute Meltdown
In a frenetic six-minute spell, Chelsea succumbs to a barrage from Blitz-Red.
Facebook Twitter Whatsapp E-Mail Print Copy Link Another chaotic Club World Cup moment for Bayern's opponents: While Chelsea bungles a commanding lead, a storm wreaks havoc on Benfica. Get the lowdown on the wild six minutes that changed everything.
Looks like Chelsea's got a bit of the Breaking Bad vibe going on at the 2025 Club World Cup! After a promising start against CR Flamengo, the London squad stumbled, giving up a 1:3 loss despite previously leading 1:0. Ouch! The Conference League champions need a strong performance in their last group game to avoid a potential matchup with Bayern in the round of 16.
Sneaky Sub Strikes the Wrong Note
Enter Nicolas Jackson, who replaced Liam Delap in the 64th minute. The Senegalese whipped up scandal just four minutes later, earning a red card for hacking down Ayrton—all in 68 seconds! Moral of the story: Timing is everything. That red card effectively sealed Flamengo's win, with Bruno Henrique (62.) and Danilo (65.) scoring the clinching goals, and Wallace Yan adding one more in the 83rd minute.
Thunder and Lightning Delay the Benfica Show
Meanwhile, a real storm rocked Auckland City in Orlando, forcing Benfica to stall for over two hours! The deathly quiet stadium was far from thrilling as the heavily favored Portuguese side struggled against the semi-professional Kiwis for a half. Argentine legend Ángel Di María finally broke the ice in added time thanks to a penalty, making it 1:0.
Football Takes a Rain Check
The storm brought an abrupt end to the first half, with spectators boltting for the exits. When play resumed, Pavlidis (53.), Renato Sanches (63.), Leandro Barreiro (76./78.), and Di María yet again from the spot (90.+8) ensured a clear victory for Benfica.
Missing Out on Auckland and Battling the Weather, Benfica are Ready for Bayern
Despite drawing 2:2 with Boca Juniors in their first match, Benfica nabbed a 4:1 victory over the Kiwis with the help of a couple of hour-long rain delays. They'll take to the field once more against Bayern in North Carolina on Tuesday (9 PM). Meanwhile, the eliminated Auckland crew will bid farewell to the tournament in Nashville, Tennessee, against Boca at the same time.
So there you have it! The group stage of the 2025 Club World Cup has been nothing if not eventful. With Chelsea's messy six-minute collapse, Benfica's long rain delay, and an uncertain future for Auckland, we can only anticipate more drama to come!
Sources: ntv.de, dbe/sid
- Club World Cup 2025
- FC Chelsea
Fun Fact:
Did you know that the Club World Cup is often considered the "club football version" of the FIFA World Cup, featuring champion clubs from various continents? 1 And in a potential round of 16 matchup between Chelsea and Bayern, the Blues could be in for a wild ride, given their dismal performance against Flamengo. 3 Let's just hope they'll channel their inner Heisenberg instead!
The chaotic Club World Cup 2025 has seen FC Chelsea struggle, as evidenced by their six-minute meltdown against CR Flamengo, which led to a 1:3 loss despite an initial 1:0 lead. This performance could have potential implications in the round of 16, especially if they were to face European giants, Bayern.
With their promising start in the European leagues this season, Chelsea will need to bounce back from their Club World Cup woes to deliver a strong performance in the Premier League, where they aim to secure a place in the European-leagues for another year.
