Chelsea continues its journey in the FIFA Club World Cup, having advanced to the semifinals after beating Palmeiras in the quarterfinal stage. Enzo Maresca’s side will face another Brazilian club, Fluminense, along with the Blues’ former star, Thiago Silva, in the semifinals.
Chelsea Beat Palmeiras to Earn CWC Semifinal Ticket
The Blues’ ambition of winning the FIFA Club World Cup this year remains intact as they have reached the semifinal of the competition. Chelsea made their way into the next round following a slender win against Palmeiras.
Maresca’s men immediately took the attacking initiative since kick-off and eventually got themselves in front through Cole Palmer after just 16 minutes. Palmeiras didn’t give up easily as they bounced back after the break when Chelsea’s future player, Estevao, scored on 53 minutes.
Both teams were pushing hard to search for a winning goal, but it was the North London side that finally grabbed it. Chelsea snatched the winning goal seven minutes from time thanks to an own goal from Augustin Glay.
The Blues to Play Fluminense in the Semifinals
In the semifinal stage, Chelsea will have to face another Brazilian team, Fluminense, which eliminated Al Hilal 2-1. The Fluzao maintain their dream of lifting the FIFA Club World Cup trophy following their thrilling win against the Saudi club.
Fluminense took the lead five minutes before the first 45 minutes through Matheus Martinelli’s effort, which gave his team a slender lead going into the half-time break. Al Hilal managed to bounce back in the second half with Marcos Leonardo grabbing the equaliser on 51 minutes.
Eventually, it was the Brazilian side that got the victory as Hercules netted home his team’s second on 70 minute. Al Hilal’s success in eliminating Man City eventually became a distant memory as they couldn’t get back into the match, despite all of their efforts.
Chelsea’s upcoming match-up against Fluminense will be an intriguing one, notably because the Brazilian team have Silva on their team. The former Chelsea defender has a pretty good knowledge of his former club, and that could be key in Fluzao’s attempt to win the semifinals.
