Liam Delap scores first Chelsea goal to set up Benfica clash
LIAM DELAP HOPES there are plenty more goals to come after scoring his first for Chelsea to help them into the last 16 of the Club World Cup.
The former Ipswich striker was on target as the Blues beat Esperance Tunis 3-0 in Philadelphia to secure the runners-up spot in Group D.
The Blues will now face Benfica – surprise winners of Group C, ahead of Bayern Munich – in the next round in Charlotte on Saturday.
Delap's goal came moments after defender Tosin Adarabioyo had opened the scoring in first-half stoppage time and put Chelsea into a commanding position.
The 22-year-old took a pass from Enzo Fernandez, turned past one defender and flicked outside another before calmly rolling the ball into the net, although goalkeeper Bechir Ben Said made minimal effort to stop the shot.
It represented Chelsea's first return on their £30million investment in Delap, who reportedly snubbed Manchester United to move to Stamford Bridge.
Delap told the club's website, chelseafc.com: 'Obviously it is a really happy feeling and hopefully it is the first of many.
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'I spoke to Enzo (Maresca) and he told me when he gets the ball to just run. It was a great pass and luckily it went in.
'I love playing football and to play for such a good team is a great feeling.
'We had to win to get through and we are all happy we are into the next stage.'
Chelsea's victory was rounded off by substitute Tyrique George in time added on at the end of the game although, yet again, Ben Said made a poor attempt to save.
There was little fortuitous about the opener, however, as Adarabioyo placed a fine header inside the post from a well-delivered Fernandez free-kick.
That goal broke the spirit of the Tunisians who, with a win, would have leapfrogged Chelsea in the standings and eliminated Enzo Maresca's side.
Maresca, who made eight changes, was pleased with the performance of his side coming after their loss to Flamengo in their previous game.
The Italian said: 'It was important to bounce back and win. Now we can start to think about the next one.
'It was very important to be patient and then when we found the goal it became a bit more open.
'We are happy for all the players, especially for the ones who have gone a long time without minutes.
'From 32 teams now we are in the last 16. Hopefully we can go to the last eight.'
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Irish Examiner
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Club World Cup: Chelsea 3 Espérance 0 It must be tough to play free-flowing football when it feels as if the game is being staged in an airless hotel room and nobody knows how to turn off the central heating. Chelsea nonetheless managed to keep their cool in suffocating conditions in Philadelphia, securing their place in the last 16 of the Club World Cup thanks to a composed 3-0 victory over Espérance. This was a positive night for Enzo Maresca, who encountered few problems after trusting his second string to see off the Tunisian champions. Liam Delap scored his first goal for his new club and although Chelsea finished behind Flamengo in Group D there are benefits to going through in second place. After all a date with Bayern Munich on Saturday has been swerved, albeit more by luck than judgment after Benfica took advantage of Vincent Kompany's disastrous attempt at rotation by nabbing top spot in Group C with a shock 1-0 win over the German champions on Tuesday afternoon. 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He made eight changes, gave Filip Jörgensen a chance in goal, handed Christopher Nkunku his first start in attack since 17 April and caused a meltdown on social media by again finding no place for Andrey Santos in midfield, despite it being fairly standard practice for a manager to ease in a young player who has been with his new teammates for under two weeks. Maresca pointed out that there are tactical nuances for Santos to absorb. This was Chelsea's 60th game of a gruelling campaign and if one thing has become clear during Maresca's first year in charge it is that his system takes time to understand. Malo Gusto inverting from left-back and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall operating on the right wing rather than in central midfield summed up those complexities. Not that Chelsea carried out the plan well at first. Was it the consequence of the heatwave making it impossible to train properly? It was still 35C (95F) by kick-off at Lincoln Financial Field and the added treat of high humidity levels made it hard for Chelsea. The first 10 minutes were lethargic. Tosin Adarabioyo headed wide from a corner, but Espérance soon found gaps at the other end. Gusto was caught out of position, only for the defender to race back to deny Elias Mokwana, and there was more concern when Yan Sasse got behind Josh Acheampong on the opposite flank. Chelsea responded with Nkunku finding Delap, who turned and shot at Bechir Ben Saïd from 20 yards. They began to dominate and almost scored when Enzo Fernández combined with Gusto on the left. Dewsbury-Hall should have done better with a free header. Ben Saïd, looking increasingly suspect, then got away with spilling a shot from Acheampong. Enzo Fernández whacked a volley wide after good play from Noni Madueke, who was Chelsea's most dynamic player during the first half. Nkunku, who has struggled for form and fitness, drifted into pockets of space. Perhaps Maresca can still find a use for the forward if no buyer for the France international emerges this summer. Nkunku certainly has his merits, particularly in the opposition box. It is more that he continues to look out of place in this setup. Yet Chelsea were pressing as half-time approached. Espérance were not up to much. They cracked when Acheampong drove forward during stoppage time and won a free-kick on the right. Fernández crossed and Tosin guided in a clever header. Pressure lifted, Chelsea pushed again before the interval, the advantage doubled when Delap swivelled on the left, barrelled into the area and shot with his right instep. Ben Saïd, weirdly, did little but stand rooted to his line, making no attempt at a save despite the ball rolling in fairly centrally, like an outfield player having a reluctant turn in goal during a casual five-a-side game. Chelsea controlled the second half. Madueke and Nkunku shot narrowly wide; Tyrique George and Marc Guiu came on and were thwarted by Ben Saïd. Maresca was content and withdrew Delap, giving the striker a breather given that Nicolas Jackson will still be unavailable against Benfica after his red card against Flamengo. There was even a late runout for Santos, who appeared to have made a swift impact when his shot was handled and a penalty was awarded, only for the decision to be overturned after a video assistant referee review. It made no difference. Flamengo will face Bayern after drawing 1-1 with Los Angeles FC. Chelsea still eased into the knockout stages, earning €8.2m in the process, gloss added to the scoreline when Ben Saïd failed to deal with a powerful shot from George from long range. Guardian
