Chelsea defeated Benfica 4-1 after extra time in a dramatic and weather-delayed match on Saturday to reach the quarter-finals of the FIFA Club World Cup.
The match, held at the Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina, lasted nearly five hours due to a long weather delay caused by a storm.
Chelsea were leading 1-0 with just four minutes to go, thanks to a clever free-kick from Reece James. But the game was stopped for almost two hours after lightning and bad weather triggered safety protocols.
“It’s a joke, it’s not football. For 85 minutes we were in control of the game. We created enough chances to win the game. Then after the break, the game changed — for me personally, it’s not football,” Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca said.
When play resumed, Benfica equalised with a penalty in injury time. The referee gave the spot-kick after a Video Assistant Referee (VAR) review showed Chelsea’s Malo Gusto handled the ball. Veteran Angel Di Maria calmly scored from the spot to make it 1-1.
The game then went into extra time, but Benfica’s hope was hit when they went down to 10 men after Gianluca Prestianni received a second yellow card.
Chelsea took full advantage. Christopher Nkunku scored to give Chelsea the lead again, poking the ball in after a shot from Moises Caicedo slipped past Benfica’s goalkeeper.
Pedro Neto then made it 3-1 with a cool finish in the 114th minute, and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall added the fourth goal just three minutes later to seal the win.
Chelsea will now face Brazilian side Palmeiras in the quarter-finals.
Maresca criticised the number of weather-related delays during the tournament.
“If you are already suspending six, seven, eight games, it probably means there is something that is not working well. In a football game, it’s not normal to suspend the game,” he said.