The match between Chelsea and Benfica in the 1/8 round of the FIFA Club World Cup 2025TM had to be suspended in the 86th minute due to bad weather. At that time, Chelsea were temporarily leading their opponents with a score of 1-0 thanks to a goal by defender Reece James (minute 64).
After more than 2 hours of postponement, the two teams returned to play and the referee added 6 minutes of extra time. Notably, right in the 5th minute of extra time, Benfica brought the match to a 1-1 balance.
Accordingly, the referee team consulted VAR and determined that Malo Gusto fouled the opponent in the penalty area. Di Maria made no mistake on the penalty spot to bring a valuable equalizer to Benfica.
With a draw after 90 official minutes, the two teams were forced to go into extra time to determine the winner. However, Benfica soon fell into a difficult position in the second minute of the extra time, when Gianluca Prestianni was sent off due to a dangerous foul.
The advantage helped Chelsea get more excited. In the 108th minute, Christopher Nkunku's close-range shot raised the score to 2-1 for the English team. They then continued to increase the pressure in the second extra time. Neto and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall scored two more goals to seal a 4-1 victory for the Premier League representative.
Coach Enzo Maresca's team officially entered the quarter-finals of the FIFA Club World Cup 2025TM, where they will face Palmeiras - a challenging South American representative.
