Pedro Neto scored in the 13th minute, helping Chelsea lead 1-0. However, the Brazilian team equalized the score in the 62nd minute, taking the lead in the 65th minute and Nicolas Jackson was sent off in the 68th minute.
That completely changed the game. Flamengo took advantage of the advantage of playing with one more player to score another goal late in the match, sealing a 3-1 victory.
"The six minutes completely changed the game. I think, until they scored the first goal, we started the second half much better, but then their two goals and the red card changed the game. Flamengo deserved to win, said coach Enzo Maresca.
For Nicolas Jackson, this is his second red card in recent times. The striker was also sent off in Chelsea's 2-0 Premier League defeat to Newcastle. If he does not improve his playing attitude, Jackson will lose his starting position to rookie Liam Delap.
Maresca said that Jackson apologized to the team after the match. The red card has nothing to do with Nicos future. He got his first red card at Newcastle when Liam wasn't even here and another card today.
Today I'm not 100% sure it was a red card, but Nico knows very well that in both situations, it was not a good thing for the team," the Chelsea coach added.
With only 3 points per match, Chelsea need to win their final match against Vietnam's Esperance to qualify for the round of 16.
Maresca does not seem to be too concerned about Chelsea's results at the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup. He stressed that he has used the Flamengo match to prepare for the upcoming Premier League season.
"For the first time, we played in a different structure today, just to prepare for next season, to have more options," Maresca shared.
In the match against Flamengo, the Italian strategist used captain Reece James, Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo in midfield, using a 4-3-3 formation.
Cole Palmer played on the right wing of the three-man attack and had difficulty making a difference in the match.
According to Maresca, he had envisioned a tough match against Flamengo because the opponent was a very strong team with good players and a good coach.
"They played very well and in Brazil, they are leading the league, unbeaten in many matches, so the fact that they made it difficult for us does not surprise us," Maresca concluded.
