Liam Delap netted his first goal for Chelsea as Enzo Maresca’s side secured a 3–0 victory over Tunisian champions Esperance on Tuesday, sealing their place in the last 16 of the Club World Cup.
In humid conditions following a sweltering day in Philadelphia, the match at Lincoln Financial Field was decided by two goals in first-half stoppage time—first from Tosin Adarabioyo, then Delap—before Tyrique George added a third late on. The win came in front of 32,937 fans and marked a strong response from the Blues after their 3–1 defeat to Flamengo.
The result confirmed Chelsea’s second-place finish in Group D behind the Brazilian side, while Esperance were eliminated from the competition.
Speaking after the game, Maresca praised Delap, who was making just his third appearance for the club: “Against Flamengo, he had three clear chances, which shows he’s getting into the right positions. We know Liam will score goals for us—there’s no doubt.”
Chelsea now head to Charlotte for a last-16 clash with Benfica on Saturday. The Portuguese side topped Group C after beating Bayern Munich, setting up a reunion with Chelsea for the first time since their 2013 Europa League final meeting. The winner of that tie will advance to face either Palmeiras or Botafogo in the quarter-finals.
“Benfica are a top club with a top manager and players. It will be tough,” Maresca said. “But we’ve gone from 32 to 16, and now the aim is to make it to the last eight.”
Maresca made eight changes to his starting lineup following the Flamengo loss, with only Delap, Enzo Fernández, and Malo Gusto retaining their places. Among the new faces was Josh Acheampong, who impressed in his 10th appearance of the season.
The Chelsea boss explained that the oppressive heat in Philadelphia left him with little choice but to rotate heavily: “Playing every three days in these conditions is just not possible. The players who came in did well. Now we need to recover and prepare for the next match.”
Chelsea dominated possession in the first half without creating many clear-cut chances until stoppage time. Acheampong forced a save from Bechir Ben Said in the 36th minute, and Fernández went close with a shot from the edge of the area.
It was Fernández who finally broke the deadlock, delivering a pinpoint free-kick into the box that Adarabioyo met with a firm header into the bottom corner in the third minute of stoppage time. Just two minutes later, the Argentine turned provider again, slipping a pass to Delap, who controlled expertly with his back to goal before turning and firing low into the net.
Despite temperatures still hovering near 30°C (86°F) late into the evening, Chelsea remained in control throughout. Both sides made changes, with Mamadou Sarr and Andrey Santos making their first Chelsea appearances after returning from loan spells at Strasbourg.
The Blues were initially awarded a penalty 15 minutes from time after a Santos shot struck the hand of Yassine Meriah, but the decision was overturned following a VAR review.
George put the game beyond doubt deep into injury time, firing home a shot that Ben Said should have done better with.
After the match, Esperance coach Maher Kanzari said: “We came up against a team from the very highest level and were dominated, but we didn’t disgrace ourselves.”
AFP
