Sport | Football
Chelsea vs LAFC LIVE!
Chelsea got their Club World Cup campaign off to a winning start against Los Angeles FC in Atlanta on Monday. The Blues went to the summit of Group D after a 2-0 victory over Major League Soccer (MLS) opponents who only earned their spot at the inaugural expanded 32-team summer tournament at the beginning of the month with a tense play-off victory over Club America in extra time, following Club Leon’s failed appeal against their removal by FIFA.
Pedro Neto was assisted by Nicolas Jackson to find the breakthrough for Chelsea after a dominant first-half display, though the game opened up significantly thereafter, with Robert Sanchez making a couple of important saves to thwart Denis Bouanga before £30million signing Liam Delap came off the bench to assist Enzo Fernandez’s important late goal at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, where a disappointing crowd of just over 22,000 people watched the game in a venue with a capacity of 71,000.
Enzo Maresca may be considering some squad rotation as Chelsea now head back to their Philadelphia base to face Brazilian giants Flamengo on Friday evening, while next up for LAFC is Esperance de Tunis in Nashville.
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Chelsea are up and running in Group D at the Club World Cup with a victory.
Plenty to work on for the Conference League winners and they certainly didn’t have everything their own way, particularly for stretches of a competitive and open second half, but it was comfortable enough in the end and Delap’s assist on debut was a standout moment.
It’s Brazilian giants Flamengo up next for the Blues in Philadelphia on Friday evening.
LAFC won’t be too despondent as they prepare to face Esperance de Tunis in Nashville later that evening.
94 mins: LAFC are denied a last-gasp penalty at one end before Chelsea break at pace and Neto’s fierce effort from range clatters the crossbar.
That would have been the icing on the cake for the Blues.
90 mins: Three minutes of added time signalled at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, where Chelsea have been very comfortable since the second goal.
A great start to his Blues career for Delap…
87 mins: Tillman has been withdrawn for LAFC – Marlon Santos on.
Yaw Yeboah also replaces Delgado.
85 mins: More last-ditch defending from LAFC thwarts Chelsea at the last.
The official attendance has been announced as 22,137 – not what FIFA will want to see.
Essugo wins the ball back for the Blues well, almost leading to a chance for fellow debutant Delap.
Lloris diverts the danger.
83 mins: LAFC have replaced Igor Jesus with Frankie Amaya.
Another Chelsea debut now as Dario Essugo replaces Caicedo.
Palmer also makes way for Christopher Nkunku.
80 mins: Again Chelsea fall asleep at the back in alarming fashion, Gusto just about recovering to knock over Bouanga, who still forces Sanchez into another save.
79 mins: Chelsea have been riding their luck a bit here but now they double their advantage!
Delap with an assist on his debut as his cross is taken down by fellow substitute Fernandez, who then fires home from inside the six-yard box.
Game, set and match?
77 mins: Into the last 15 minutes in Atlanta and it’s chaos inside that Chelsea box, the ball flying everywhere in pinball fashion before its turned wide at the back post.
That could have been 1-1, but I think the offside flag would have gone up.
74 mins: Delap is a real threat again in the LAFC box, but he’s repelled by Segura before the defender wins a pressure-relieving free-kick.
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