Chelsea advance to the last 16 without a fight against Esperance, Flamengo top of Group D

The Blues held their own. Against Espérance Tunis, they held their own, finishing second in the group and qualifying for the last 16 of the Club World Cup (3-0), on the night of Tuesday to Wednesday. Enzo Maresca's team will face the Portuguese team of Benfica, who finished first in their group , in the next round, on Saturday in Charlotte.

To achieve this feat, the Tunisians had to win, but they were never able to influence the outcome of a match largely dominated by Chelsea. Christopher Nkunku's teammates, who could have settled for a draw to qualify, put an end to any suspense just before the break thanks to a header from English defender Tosin Adarabioyo (45th + 3) and then a goal from striker Liam Delap, who burst through the Tunisian defense before beating goalkeeper Bechir Ben Said (45th + 5).

Chelsea, winners of the Conference League and fourth in the Premier League this season, then calmly managed before increasing their lead in stoppage time with a shot from Tyrique George (90th + 7) from the edge of the box, helped by a handball from the opposing goalkeeper. The Tunisians, resigned, almost never threatened the Blues, except for a breakthrough from Yan Sasse (45th + 4).

Already qualified for the round of 16, Flamengo secured first place in Group D with a 1-1 draw against Olivier Giroud and Hugo Lloris's Los Angeles FC, who have already been eliminated . Filipe Luis's men will face a big clash against Bayern Munich on Sunday in Miami.

The Brazilians struggled for a long time against the Californians' defense, hitting the woodwork several times. And, on a counterattack, it was former Saint-Étienne player Denis Bouanga who scored the first goal for the home team (84th minute). The advantage was short-lived, as Wallace Yan equalized two minutes later after breaking into the penalty area. Having come close to a hold-up, Los Angeles can take solace in having avoided a third straight defeat in this Club World Cup.