Chelsea scored the go-ahead goal on Malo Gusto’s 83rd-minute shot that went in after a pair of deflections, beating Palmeiras 2-1 on Friday night for a spot in the FIFA Club World Cup semi-finals.
Cole Palmer put Chelsea ahead in the 16th minute, but Estevao, an 18-year-old who is to transfer to Chelsea this summer, tied the score against his future club with an angled shot in the 53rd.
Gusto’s shot following a short corner kick appeared to deflect off defender Agustin Giay and goalkeeper Weverton and sent the Chelsea portion of 65,782 fans into a frenzy. FIFA credited Weverton with an own goal.
Photo: AFP
Chelsea would not have to travel far for their next match, facing Fluminense on Tuesday at East Rutherford, New Jersey. Hercules came off the bench and scored in the 70th minute to lift Fluminense past Al-Hilal 2-1 in Friday’s earlier quarter-final.
With Chelsea’s win, three of the four semifinal teams would be from Europe, with one from Brazil.
The 23-year-old Palmer scored his first goal in the Club World Cup and showed why he is widely considered one of the top attacking midfielders. He took a pass from Trevoh Chalobah and slipped the ball inside the far post.
Fans made it to Lincoln Financial Field on a holiday weekend that included a strike by nearly 10,000 city workers in Philadelphia, competition from an earlier Philadelphia Phillies MLB game, and a concert and fireworks show near the Philadelphia Museum of Art. FIFA had slashed tickets to as low as US$11.15.
There was a pregame tribute for Liverpool player Diogo Jota and his brother, Andre Silva, who were found dead near Zamora in northwestern Spain after the Lamborghini they were driving crashed and burst into flames on an isolated stretch of highway.
Chelsea’s Portuguese forward Pedro Neto paid a tribute to Jota when he walked out on the field with a shirt bearing their names before the match.
“We spoke with Pedro yesterday and this morning and this afternoon, and it was completely Pedro’s decision to play or not to play,” Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca said after the game.
“He did, he made a fantastic effort to play this game ... with his teammates, and we really appreciate what he has done,” he said.
Additional reporting by Reuters
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