Own Goal Helps Chelsea Advance to the Semis

On a beautiful evening at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, the second Quarterfinal match got underway as Palmeiras of Brazil took on Chelsea of England. This was a fantastic match from both sides, who wanted to face Fluminense very badly in the Semi-Finals, but with a little luck, Chelsea advanced with some help as they won it by a final score of two goals to one.

The first goal was scored in the 16th minute, as Chelsea was attacking the Palmeiras side of the pitch. At the far side, it was Trevoh Chalobah with a strong pass to Cole Palmer. Then it was Palmer who made the magic happen, as he cut inside toward the area, found a little room, then scored inside the near post as the Blue side of London got on the scoresheet.

Chelsea held on to the lead up to halftime until something magical happened. Estevao, who was signed to play with the London club, was still with Palmeiras during this FIFA Club World Cup, and he showed why his fans from Sao Paulo will miss him, while the Blues will love him for that type of finish in the second half of this Quarterfinal.

In the 55th minute, Richard Rios had the ball down the far side touchline. As he dribbled down, he made a nice pass to Estevao, right on his boots. Somehow Estevao made an incredible shot from such a tight angle that he roofed the ball underneath the crossbar, then bounced down and completely over the goal line to get that equalizer and put Lincoln Financial Field into a frenzy.

But in the 83rd minute, Chelsea got some help from Palmeiras to take the victory. As Malo Gusto was dribbling down the far side, he had Richard Rios marking him. When Gusto took the shot, the ball took a double deflection. First, it went off of Rios, but as Weverton tried to stop it, he made the wrong move and his right arm took the last deflection and went into the back of the net. An own goal sealed Palmeiras’ fate.

As Second half stoppage time came, Chelsea continued to find that third goal to end this match on a flourish. Weveton found ways to keep his side in the match, but the referee blew his whistle, and it was all over. Chelsea would advance to the Semi-Finals and face Fluminense at MetLife Stadium in the Meadowlands of East Rutherford, NJ, while Palmeiras flies back home to Brazil to prepare for another new season.

As the players were walking out of the tunnel, Chelsea’s Pedro Neto, who was a friend of Diogo Jota and Andre Silva, carried a jersey over his shoulder and had their names on it. A tough loss for this man who knew these two very well back in Portugal, played with a heavy heart in this match.