logo
Chelsea Defeat LAFC 2-0 In 2025 Club World Cup Group Opener

Chelsea Defeat LAFC 2-0 In 2025 Club World Cup Group Opener

Barnama7 hours ago

ANKARA, June 17 (Bernama-Anadolu) -- English club Chelsea began their 2025 FIFA Club World Cup campaign with a 2-0 victory over United States' Los Angeles FC in a Group D match on Monday, Anadolu Ajansi reported.
The match was held at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, marking the group's opening fixture.
Chelsea took the lead in the 34th minute through a stylish strike by Pedro Neto, giving them a 1-0 advantage at half-time.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Soccer-Flamengo's impressive Club World Cup start sets up mouth-watering Chelsea showdown
Soccer-Flamengo's impressive Club World Cup start sets up mouth-watering Chelsea showdown

The Star

time40 minutes ago

  • The Star

Soccer-Flamengo's impressive Club World Cup start sets up mouth-watering Chelsea showdown

FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - FIFA Club World Cup - Group D - Flamengo v Esperance Sportive de Tunis - Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. - June 16, 2025 Flamengo's Leo Pereira in action IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters/Kyle Ross/File Photo PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) -Flamengo's dominant 2-0 victory over Esperance de Tunis on Monday will have caught the attention of Group D favourites Chelsea, and suggests the Brazilian side could have a significant impact at FIFA's revamped tournament. The Brazilian Cup champions next face Chelsea, who beat MLS side LAFC 2-0 earlier in the day, in a mouth-watering clash at Philadelphia's Lincoln Financial Field on Friday that should determine the group winner. WHY IT'S IMPORTANT: It has been over a decade since a European team lost at the Club World Cup but the ease with which Flamengo dispensed with Esperance will give them confidence they can end that run when they face Chelsea on Friday. The London side were the last European team to taste defeat at the tournament, losing to Corinthians in the 2012 final, but since then the continent's clubs are undefeated in 27 matches. Palmeiras and Boca Juniors came close to wins over Porto and Benfica in their openers at the current edition, and South American sides have six games left against European opposition in the group stage to break their stranglehold. Flamengo are unbeaten in over a month and lead the Brazilian league playing a solid brand of football under the calm guidance of former Atletico Madrid defender Filipe Luis. KEY QUOTES: Flamengo midfielder Jorginho: "We enjoyed the goal, and the fans were amazing, as I've seen before but now I'm living it. The most important thing is the performance that we did. I think we controlled the game, we played well and we deserved the win, I think that was the most important thing for us. "It felt really good, because we have great players who understand the game, I feel that we can understand each other very quickly, and it's going to be a good bond with the group and everything, so we just need to keep working together and move forward." Flamengo manager Filipe Luis: "At the beginning we managed to control the game with possession, then after the first goal we slowed down a bit and that cost us a bit of time with the ball. But in the second half we managed to score the second goal and a great win, three points. Now we have to face the next chapter for this group, Chelsea is a difficult team, but very happy with the win." (Reporting by Fernando Kallas; Editing by Peter Rutherford)

Soccer-Dominant Flamengo beat Esperance 2-0 at Club World Cup
Soccer-Dominant Flamengo beat Esperance 2-0 at Club World Cup

The Star

time2 hours ago

  • The Star

Soccer-Dominant Flamengo beat Esperance 2-0 at Club World Cup

Soccer Football - FIFA Club World Cup - Group D - Flamengo v Esperance Sportive de Tunis - Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. - June 16, 2025 Flamengo's Luiz Araujo scores their second goal past Esperance Sportive de Tunis' Ben Said REUTERS/Lee Smith PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) -Flamengo began their Club World Cup campaign with a comfortable 2-0 victory over Esperance de Tunis in their Group D opener in Philadelphia on Monday thanks to goals from Giorgian de Arrascaeta and Luiz Araujo. The Brazilian side dominated from start to finish on a chilly evening at a half-empty Lincoln Financial Field, with Esperance managing only two attempts on goal. Flamengo opened the scoring in the 17th minute when Guillermo Varela surged down the right and delivered a pinpoint cross to Luiz Araujo, who cushioned the ball into the path of Arrascaeta to fire home. Esperance struggled to get a foothold on the match, with Flamengo enjoying 80% possession, but they enjoyed their best moments after the break with Youcef Belaili providing a rare spark. After curling a shot narrowly wide in the 63rd minute, Belaili forced Flamengo goalkeeper Augustin Rossi into a sharp save with a close-range effort five minutes later. However, Flamengo quickly reasserted control to silence the lively Tunisian support behind the south goal and in the 70th minute they doubled their lead through Araujo. Former Chelsea and Arsenal midfielder Jorginho played an incisive through ball for Araujo to break the offside trap and after cutting inside he curled a precise left-footed strike into the bottom corner. The win puts Flamengo level on points with Chelsea at the top of Group D, after the London club also secured a 2-0 victory over LAFC earlier in the day. Flamengo and Chelsea meet on Friday in a match likely to determine the group winner. (Reporting by Fernando Kallas; Editing by Peter Rutherford)

'Strange' to play in front of 50,000 empty seats: Chelsea's Maresca
'Strange' to play in front of 50,000 empty seats: Chelsea's Maresca

Sinar Daily

time2 hours ago

  • Sinar Daily

'Strange' to play in front of 50,000 empty seats: Chelsea's Maresca

Only 22,000 fans were present at the 71,000-capacity arena. 17 Jun 2025 10:38am Two Chelsea's supporters sit in an empty tribune during the Club World Cup 2025 Group D football match between England's Chelsea and US Los Angeles FC at the Mercedes-Benz stadium in Atlanta. Photo by Paul Ellis/AFP ATLANTA - Chelsea coach Enzo Maresca labelled the atmosphere in his team's opening Club World Cup game on Monday "strange" after the Blues triumphed in front of nearly 50,000 empty seats. The UEFA Conference League winners defeated Los Angeles FC 2-0 at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta with only 22,000 fans present at the 71,000-capacity arena. "The environment was a bit strange, the stadium was almost empty, not full," Maresca told reporters. "We are professional, we have to adapt to the situation, to the environment... "It's important the behaviour of the players, the attitude, and once again they showed how professional they are." Giant screen shows attendance during the Fifa Club World Cup 2025 group D match between Chelsea FC and Los Angeles Football Club at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on June 16, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia. Photo by Alex Grimm/AFP The Chelsea coach said his team had expected a larger crowd, but were hopeful they would get that in their second game against Flamengo of Brazil in Philadelphia. "We prepared this game also thinking that the environment was a bit different, but no doubt that the next one will be a nice one, because we know that the Brazilian teams, they always bring many, many fans," he added. Over 60,000 spectators attended the opening match between Lionel Messi's Inter Miami and Al Ahly on Saturday, while 80,000 were present at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena on Sunday for the clash between UEFA Champions League winners Paris-Saint Germain and Atletico Madrid. Plenty of Boca Juniors fans created a raucous atmosphere later on Monday for their match against Benfica at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami. With Chelsea playing at 3pm local time on a working Monday, the Mercedes-Benz Stadium was under a third full. MLS side Atlanta United average nearly 45,000 fans at their matches and are the best supported US team. "PSG against Atletico, in front of a big crowd at the Rose I don't know if there's just more fans in Los Angeles who are into this tournament than here, or if it's the pairing tonight," said LA coach Steve Cherundolo. However the American said it was too early to judge FIFA's new expanded competition on the basis of just one match. "Regarding crowds I think it's kind of different each game you look at, so I don't think we should be talking about this right now," he added. "I think we should wait until the end of the tournament...(to make) an opinion about it as a whole, as opposed to one game." - AFP

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store