Chelsea’s hopes of reaching the Club World Cup knockouts were dashed by a rampant Flamengo side, who came from behind to secure a 3-1 win in Philadelphia.
Despite taking the lead through Pedro Neto in the first half, Enzo Maresca’s team suffered a second-half implosion, conceding three times and finishing the game with ten men.
It was a chaotic and often ill-disciplined performance from Chelsea, who started brightly enough.
Pedro Neto capitalised on a fortunate ricochet just past the 15-minute mark, sprinting clear and slotting calmly past Rossi to net his second goal of the tournament.
Despite going ahead, Chelsea never took control. Flamengo built momentum and were unlucky not to level before the break.
A goal-line clearance from Levi Colwill and a couple of smart stops from Robert Sanchez kept the Premier League side ahead, but there was a sense that they were riding their luck.
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In the second half, Flamengo had threatened through the lively Gerson and Araujo, and they finally made their pressure count in the 69th minute.
A flowing move saw Plata nod a deep cross back across goal, allowing substitute Bruno Henrique to slot home the equaliser at the far post.
Chelsea barely had time to react before they were behind. Just four minutes later, a Flamengo corner caused chaos in the box. Henrique was again involved, heading the ball back across the six-yard area for Danilo to stab home on the stretch, sparking wild celebrations among the Brazilian fans.
Things went from bad to worse almost immediately. Nicolas Jackson, brought on moments earlier, was sent off for a reckless studs-up challenge, compounding an already dire six-minute spell that saw Chelsea go from leading to trailing and a man down.
Flamengo continued to exploit Chelsea’s disarray, and with eight minutes left on the clock, they sealed the win. Twenty-year-old Wallace Yan, fresh off the bench, linked up with Plata inside the box and – albeit fortuitously – found himself with the ball at his feet after his teammate’s shot deflected off him.
Chelsea pressed for a response in stoppage time, with Madueke lively off the bench and a few dangerous set-pieces troubling the Flamengo defence, but there was no way back.
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