Chelsea and Benfica, in the eighths of the Club World Cup.
Photo: Efe – Brian Westerholt
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Chelsea advanced this Saturday to the quarterfinals of the Club World Cup that takes place in the United States, after beating Benfica 4-1 in an unusual game that lasted almost five hours.
The duel, played at the Bank of America Stadium of North Carolina, was interrupted, in the absence of five minutes to meet the 90 minutes, for a storm that forced to evacuate the stands and send the players to the locker room.
After the resumption, in an unexpected turn, the scoreboard, who at that time favored Chelsea, matched Benfica in the resumption, with a goal by Ángel Di María in the aggregate, and forced an extension of 30 minutes that concluded with an unexpected win.
This was the longest match of the Club World Cup
The game began at 3:00 pm (Colombian time) and ended almost at 8:00 pm
Despite Chelsea's domain from the first half, the goal was waiting. Reece James was the one who opened the account with a surprise free kick in the 63rd minute, taking advantage of a weak barrier of Benfica.
Until then, Trubin had already saved the Portuguese painting several times, including shots from Cucurella, Palmer and Caicedo.
When he was going to finish, the game was suspended for more than an hour. The resumption, initially scheduled in minutes, took more than expected. Finally, the teams returned to the court and, after an additional warming and with just five minutes to play, both teams played what seemed the last minutes.
However, there came the dramatic turn. A hand of bad taste, when the game resumed after the thunderstorm and that was sanctioned after revision of the VAR, gave rise to a penalty that Angel Di Maria turned into 90+5 ′, in what would be his last goal in European football, because now he will play in Rosario Central.
Just when it seemed that Benfica could force the comeback, another storm fell, this metaphorical time. Chelsea unleashed an offensive storm in the last stretch. Christopher Nkunku put 2-1 after a trubin error at 108 ′, Pedro Neto increased to 115 ′ in a lethal and, finally, Dewsbury-Hall sealed 4-1 to 117 ′, with a subtle definition after Palmer assistance.
The difference in the scoreboard did not reflect at all what the game was. Benfica, who had clear options on the feet of Prestianni and Pavlidis, paid expensive for his lack of aim and physical wear. In addition, the expulsion of the young Argentine Prestianni in the 92nd minute, for double yellow, conditioned the extension. Di María, who was the soul of the team during the 120 minutes, could not avoid the final overflow.
Coach Enzo Maresca celebrated with euphoria the passage to rooms, in which they will face the Palmeiras de Abel Ferreira. The Brazilian team, solid in their group, waits for the 'blues' in a duel that promises high voltage. For Chelsea, this triumph represents a respite in the middle of an irregular season in the Premier League.
For fans, it will be an unforgettable match. Not only because of the bulky result or the drama of the draw in the last sigh. It was an atypical experience: storm, wait, frustration, epic and win.
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