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Club World Cup 2025: Flamengo Sink Chelsea In 3-1 Comeback Win To Secure Last 16 Spot
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Flamengo have won both matches in Group D, and their place in the knockout phase was confirmed later when Esperance of Tunisia defeated Los Angeles FC 1-0 in Nashville
The Brazilians continue to make their mark and dominate at the FIFA Club World Cup.
Flamengo staged a remarkable second-half comeback to defeat Chelsea 3-1 at the Club World Cup on Friday, becoming the first team to qualify for the last 16 of FIFA's new lucrative tournament.
Pedro Neto had given Chelsea a first-half lead, but Flamengo, driven by their passionate supporters who made up the majority of the 54,019 crowd in Philadelphia, deserved more and fought back in the second half.
Bruno Henrique came off the bench in the 56th minute and equalised just after the hour mark before setting up former Real Madrid, Manchester City, and Juventus defender Danilo to make it 2-1.
Chelsea were stunned, and their hopes of levelling were effectively dashed when substitute Nicolas Jackson was sent off in the 68th minute for a dangerous tackle on Ayrton Lucas.
Substitute Wallace Yan then sealed the victory for the Brazilian league leaders, making it 3-1 late on.
'It was a special day for me and our club," said Flamengo coach Filipe Luis, a former Chelsea player.
Flamengo have won both matches in Group D, and their place in the knockout phase was confirmed later when Esperance of Tunisia defeated Los Angeles FC 1-0 in Nashville. Youcef Belaili scored the only goal of the game in the 70th minute in front of a sparse crowd that included Nicole Kidman.
LAFC were last-minute qualifiers after defeating Club America of Mexico in a play-off following the decision to ban Leon for violating rules on multi-club ownership. The Major League Soccer side cannot progress any further.
Chelsea and Esperance now each have three points from two games, and their meeting in Philadelphia next Tuesday will determine which team joins Flamengo in advancing.
Flamengo's win followed Botafogo's stunning success against European champions Paris Saint-Germain on Thursday, extending the unbeaten record for South American clubs at the competition to nine matches.
A tough test awaits another South American representative, as Boca Juniors face Bayern Munich in Miami in Group C. Bayern, who hammered New Zealand's Auckland City 10-0 in their opening game, can clinch qualification for the last 16 by defeating the Argentinians.
Earlier, Benfica crushed Auckland 6-0 in Orlando to boost their own hopes of progressing and eliminate the lone Oceania representative at the tournament. Angel Di Maria's two penalties bookended the victory for the Portuguese side, with Leandro Barreiro scoring a brace while Vangelis Pavlidis and Renato Sanches added the other goals.
(with agency inputs)
