Club World Cup: Chelsea beat Benfica 4-1 after weather delay

Chelsea beat the Benfica in a match that lasted almost five hours at the World Cup for Club, preparing for the direct clash with the team Brazilian team Palmeiras in the US tournament. The club Londoners were rewarded with extra-time goals Christopher Nkunku, Pedro Neto and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, who they allowed us to win 4-1 against Benfica. Late goal streak decides round of 16 match of the final played at the Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, in North Carolina, after a nearly two-hour delay due to bad weather. Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca said satisfied with his team's victory, but criticized the delay that turned the match into a marathon of almost five hours. "I think it's a joke, it's not football," he said Maresca. Previously, Chelsea looked set for victory after an opportunistic free kick from Reece James in the second half he had brought them to 1-0 with four minutes to go end of regulation time. But just when Chelsea he was starting to think about the quarter-final challenge, the arrival of A storm in Charlotte has activated safety protocols premises that requested the interruption of the match. It was the sixth time during the Club World Cup that a the match was interrupted by a weather warning. When play resumed, just under two hours later, Benfica revitalized scored the equalizer in the minutes of recovery after Chelsea replacement Malo Gusto was punished for a handball in the penalty area following a intervention of the Video Assistant Referee. The Argentine veteran Benfica's Angel Di Maria stepped in to convert a penalty, sending the match into extra time. A first half of extra time without a break saw Benfica, reduced to 10 men due to the second yellow card of Gianluca Prestianni at the end of regulation time, threaten the lead while chasing a victory unlikely. But instead it was Nkunku who restored the lead Chelsea, shooting from close range after the Moises Caicedo's low shot had found the back of the net Benfica goalkeeper Antoliy Trubin. As the match, Benfica showed themselves increasingly vulnerable in counterattack and Chelsea surged forward. Neto has made the score 3-1 with a nerve-wracking finish after having launched himself at the goal in the 114th minute, and three minutes later the Dewsbury-Hall completed the overwhelming goleada that took Chelsea to the quarter-finals. Now they will return to Philadelphia, where they played two games in the round of 16 groups, to face Palmeiras in the quarter-finals on Friday next.