Liam Delap scored his first goal for Chelsea during a dominant 3-0 win over Tunisian side Esperance on Tuesday night at Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia. The victory secured Chelsea’s place in the last 16 of the Club World Cup.
Despite sweltering temperatures and heavy humidity, the English side found their rhythm, scoring twice in first-half stoppage time. Tosin Adarabioyo opened the scoring with a precise header from an Enzo Fernandez free-kick. Delap followed up moments later with a well-taken finish after receiving a pass from Fernandez.
Tyrique George sealed the result in injury time, beating Esperance’s goalkeeper with a low shot. The match drew a crowd of 32,937 as Chelsea bounced back from a 3-1 defeat to Flamengo.
Chelsea finished second in Group D behind Flamengo, eliminating Esperance from the competition. Enzo Maresca made eight changes to his starting eleven, citing the intense heat in Philadelphia as a major factor in the rotation.
Delap, making just his third appearance, was praised by Maresca. The young striker had been consistently getting into goal-scoring positions and would continue to improve.
Chelsea now head to Charlotte to face Benfica, who topped Group C after beating Bayern Munich. This will be the first meeting between the two clubs since Chelsea’s Europa League final win in 2013. The winner will face either Palmeiras or Botafogo in the quarter-finals.
Maresca described Benfica as a quality team with strong players and a capable coach, noting that advancing from a pool of 32 top clubs to the final 16 was an achievement the team should be proud of.
Josh Acheampong came close to scoring in the first half but was denied by Esperance keeper Bechir Ben Said. Fernandez also had an effort go wide, but Chelsea’s control of the match eventually paid off.
Chelsea thought they had earned a penalty in the second half when a shot from Andrey Santos appeared to hit an opponent’s hand. However, the decision was overturned after a VAR check.
The third goal, scored by George in the dying moments, slipped under the goalkeeper’s hands, wrapping up a strong team performance.
Esperance coach Maher Kanzari admitted his side were outclassed but praised his players for their effort and composure against a top European team.
