Thunderstorm forces players off in Chelsea's CWC last-16 clash with Benfica
Enzo Maresca's side were leading 1-0 and just four minutes away from securing their place in the last eight when the referee took players off the field at the Bank of America Stadium.
The match has been suspended due to extreme weather. ⏸️
🔴 0-1 🔵 [85]
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) June 28, 2025
Captain Reece James had broken the deadlock with a superb free-kick in 64th minute, rewarding Chelsea for a dominant display.
Yet as the final whistle neared, the sky darkened and a game which had largely been played in sweltering 32C heat was halted.
It is the latest of a number of matches in the tournament to have been paused because of a thunderstorm.
The winner of the game, when completed, will face Brazilian side Palmeiras in Philadelphia on Friday.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
22 minutes ago
- BBC News
Who have been the breakout stars at U21 Euros?
The Under-21 European Championships have paved the way for many future stars over the recently as 2023, when England claimed their first title under manager Lee Carsley, the competition included the likes of Cole Palmer, Pedro Neto and Rayan Cherki - all who now play prominent roles for their respective senior further back, the tournament also saw players such as Luis Figo, Andrea Pirlo and Laurent Blanc break what about the new generation? Who of those that have taken part during the past month in Slovakia have marked themselves as ones to watch?BBC Sport takes a look... Nick Woltemade If you weren't aware of the name Nick Woltemade prior to the U21 European Championship, you certainly will be Germany forward was top scorer in Slovakia with six goals and was also the joint-top assister with has, at times during the tournament, proved he may be a class above Under-21 level and highlighted exactly why he already has two caps for the senior national his six goals at the European Championship, he bagged himself a hat-trick in the 3-0 victory against Slovenia during the group stage, only the seventh hat-trick in Euro U21 23-year-old enjoyed a breakthrough season with Stuttgart and was even called a "two metre Messi-Musiala" by the Bundesliga side's club captain Atakan Karazor in an interview in February., external His form for both club and country has perked the interest of teams around Europe, with Premier League side Chelsea reportedly showing interest. Charlie Cresswell While attackers will always get the limelight, former Leeds United defender Charlie Cresswell, who now plays in France with Ligue 1 side Toulouse, certainly deserves his could argue that plying his trade regularly in the French top division has already seen him "break out", but he only highlighted that further with his near-faultless performances in 22-year-old played every minute of the tournament for England as they retained their averaged a hefty 8.67 ball recoveries per 90 minutes and totalled 52 over the course of the competition, more than any other centre-back also attempted 34 clearances, made 10 tackles and had a mightily impressive 91% passing chipped in up the other end of the pitch, too, scoring in the opening game of the tournament against the Czech senior squad has looked thin on the ground in defensive areas since the arrival of Thomas Tuchel and the former Leeds defender has done himself no harm of a potential call-up to another squad, this time for the senior team in 2026. Geovany Quenda One that will excite Chelsea fans, midfielder Geovany Quenda capped a promising breakthrough season at Sporting with an equally impressive stint on the international March, it was announced that the teenager would join Chelsea for a fee of up to £44m but will remain in Lisbon until the end of the 2025-26 the fee sounded high for a player who at the time was only 17 years old, Portuguese football journalist and pundit Mariana Fernandes told BBC Sport that he will be "worth double" that in two years' the now 18-year-old showed glimpses during the European Championship of exactly why Enzo Maresca wanted to spend the money to bring him to Stamford played in all four matches for Portugal, who were knocked out in the quarter-finals by the Netherlands, and was the top scorer for the side with three goals, while he also chipped in with two was awarded the player-of-the-match trophy in two of the four of games. Djaoui Cisse Djaoui Cisse was a key cog in the wheel of a France side that reached the semi-finals at this year's 21-year-old broke into the first team of French Ligue 1 side Rennes in the second half of the 2024-25 season and hasn't looked back since. He was able to take his form into this summer's tournament, where his performances in central midfield became instrumental to the success of Gerald Baticle's team. Cisse played no part in the first game but was brought in for the second group match and became undroppable from then on.A real box-to-box midfielder, the Rennes man stood out for his ability to pick up the ball in deep areas before carrying it forward and breaking the scored three goals, provided one assist and had 91.75% passing accuracy throughout the deployed in a more holding role for France, the 21-year-old also showed his defensive attributes with seven ball recoveries and four tackles in his four games played. Luka Kharatishvili They say it can be lonely being a goalkeeper but the European Championship was far from a lonely place for Georgia's Luka Kharatishvili, who was kept tremendously busy 22-year-old, who plys his trade in the Georgian first tier with Dinamo Batumi, was the standout performer for his country during the conceding eight goals in three games, things could have been much worse for Georgia had it not been for some superb saves from their number produced six stops in the narrow 3-2 defeat by France alone, including one that will be in contention for save of the tournament. He also produced an outstanding last-minute save in the final group game to earn Georgia a 2-1 victory against those three points weren't enough to see the side progress but it was a big moment for a nation that were taking part in just their second European Kharatishvili wasn't on the radar of clubs before the tournament he will be now, and like fellow countryman Giorgi Mamardashvili, he may not be too far away from a move to one of Europe's elite leagues.
Daily Mail
25 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
James McAtee attracts interest from FIVE Bundesliga sides after £25m Man City starlet captains England's U21s to European Championship success
Bundesliga heavyweights are battling to land James McAtee after the attacking midfielder captained England 's Under 21s to European glory against Germany. With only a year left on his contract, McAtee is set to leave Manchester City permanently this summer and any deal will include a buyback clause, which wasn't inserted into Cole Palmer 's move to Chelsea two years ago. The 22-year-old, trusted with the armband by Lee Carsley and man of the match in Saturday's European Championship final, is valued at more than £25million. Five Bundesliga sides are monitoring his situation – including Borussia Dortmund, who are selling ex-City academy star Jamie Bynoe-Gittens to Chelsea for £55.5m. RB Leipzig, Frankfurt and Stuttgart have registered interest in McAtee, while Bayer Leverkusen are long-term admirers. McAtee will become the latest in a long line of young City talents to go for a sizeable fee and his departure would take them close to breaking the £400m mark for selling academy players over the last decade. Scoring seven goals in 27 appearances last season, McAtee's route to more games under Pep Guardiola will be blocked by the capture of Rayan Cherki and Oscar Bobb's return from a fractured leg. McAtee's form at the Euros vindicated the decision not to travel with City for the Club World Cup as Guardiola's squad embark on the last-16 stage against Al Hilal in the early hours of Tuesday morning. Weather predictions suggest the clash with the 19-time Saudi Pro League champions at Orlando's Camping World Stadium could be interrupted by thunderstorms. City's pre-season friendly against Barcelona here was delayed by 80 minutes due to storms last summer. The meeting also presents several reunions. Portuguese defender Joao Cancelo left City under a cloud after disagreements with Guardiola in January 2023, while Al Hilal's chief executive Esteve Calzada is formerly the City Football Group's chief commercial officer. Marc Boixasa, Al Hilal's chief performance officer, was previously confidante to Guardiola's stars for the first five years of the Catalan's reign.
Daily Mirror
an hour ago
- Daily Mirror
Chelsea chaos leaves FIFA under pressure for World Cup as Arsene Wenger responds
Chelsea's Club World Cup match against Benfica was the latest to be impacted by adverse weather decisions, leaving questions for FIFA ahead of next summer's World Cup FIFA bosses are under huge pressure to make major changes to stop next summer's World Cup turning into a farce. Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca branded the weather delays in the Club World Cup 'a joke' as he claimed his team's win over Benfica being held up for nearly TWO HOURS was 'not football.' Arsene Wenger, now FIFA's Chief of Global Football Development, has admitted the delays are 'not ideal' but insisted the tournament has been a success. However, it has thrown up huge question marks and problems ahead of next year 's international tournament and the world governing body is ready to review weather protocols, kick-off times and suitability of venues in the wake of this tournament. The Club World Cup has seen SIX GAMES delayed by the weather with three - including Chelsea - by over an hour. That has got potential to play havoc with multi-billion pound TV contracts. Strict US rules mean games are suspended by half an hour when lightning storms happen near the stadium - and the 30 minute delay is reset each time a bolt is spotted. Chelsea's players had to be taken off the pitch, they had to keep warm in the dressing room and some even went to check on family members as the fans were also evacuated from the stands in the Bank of America Stadium. Incredibly, there was barely a drop of rain in the stadium. Charlotte is known for extreme weather with FIFA potentially looking at how far they have to widen the perimeters and the practicality of resetting for 30 minutes every time while also taking into account safety of players. Fans are used to such delays in the US but it has been a culture shock for European teams. Chelsea were winning 1-0 with just six minutes left on the clock, they were taken off the pitch and then Benfica grabbed a 95th minute leveller as Maresca's men nearly blew it before eventually winning 4-1 in extra time. Wenger said: 'It looks to me completely normal and accepted. "It's not ideal, I agree with you, because you want the flow of the game from the first to the last minute but, as well, when you organise a competition you put security first.' Former Arsenal boss Wenger also insists that, despite criticism and some empty stadiums, the tournament is proving to be a success and is definitely here to stay. Wenger said: 'The competition is much tighter than expected. We wanted to create this Club World Cup to give the big clubs from all over the world the opportunity to come here. It looks like it's the start of something that will never stop again. 'Our hope is that the teams that competed here go home and say, 'Next time, we know what we have to do to come back stronger' and that in their countries this also helps to develop the game.' Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
