Super-sub Bruno Henrique made the difference for Flamengo, who came from behind to beat 10-man Chelsea 3-1 at the Club World Cup.
He scored one and assisted another as Flamengo’s dominance, helped by Nicolas Jackson’s red card, put them in control of Group D.
After a cagey start to the match, Neto was presented with a golden opportunity when Wesley Franca lost his footing on the halfway line, and the Portuguese winger burst forward to take advantage of the mistake, coolly finishing to the goalkeeper’s left.
Flamengo pushed for an equaliser and almost got one before the break when Gerson directed a header towards goal, but Levi Colwill made a brilliant goal-line clearance.
The Brazilian side had another great chance 10 minutes into the second half when an error from Reece James allowed Gerson to go through on goal, but the defender recovered to make a block before the rebound was put wide by Gonzalo Plata.
Flamengo finally got their deserved goal in the 62nd minute when Henrique tapped home from Plata’s header at the back post.
And they did not look back as they took the lead in similar fashion three minutes later. This time, Henrique was the provider as his pass across goal was neatly finished by Danilo.
Things got worse for Chelsea when substitute Jackson was shown a straight red card for a poor tackle on Ayrton Lucas just four minutes after coming on.
Wallace Yan then secured all three points for Flamengo in the 83rd minute, combining with Plata before firing past Robert Sanchez at the near post.
This Mengão comeback. #FIFACWC
— FIFA Club World Cup (@FIFACWC) June 20, 2025
Data Debrief: Instant impact for Flamengo
Filipe Luis, who spent a season at Chelsea as a player, made the perfect substitutions to swing the game in Flamengo’s favour.
Henrique scored and assisted within 10 minutes of coming off the bench, while Wallace Yan found the net 70 seconds after his introduction.
They ensured Flamengo’s victory, which is only the second time a South American team have defeated a European side by multiple goals at the Club World Cup (all formats) after Vasco da Gama’s 3-1 win over Manchester United in 2000.
Meanwhile, Enzo Maresca’s first change was Jackson, who left the field promptly due to a reckless challenge. The Blues had been bright in the first half, but could not hold onto that momentum and finished the game with just 1.06 expected goals (xG) to Flamengo’s 3.0.
