Palmeiras and Chelsea in CWC Quarterfinals!
International Sports Desk, EFE.-
Palmeiras and Chelsea sealed their spots in the Club World Cup quarterfinals on Saturday with respective wins over Botafogo and Benfica. A stunning goal from Paulinho in the 100th minute secured Palmeiras their spot, defeating Botafogo 1-0 in Philadelphia after extra time to secure the round of 16 tie between Brazilian teams.
The Verdao, who hadn’t beaten Botafogo since November 2023, dominated a sluggish and lackluster offensive match and had to wait until extra time to seal their place in the quarterfinals.
Botafogo, the reigning Copa Libertadores champions, bowed out of the tournament with a conservative and disappointing performance after having been one of the stars in the group stage with their shock 1-0 win over Paris Saint-Germain.
In Charlotte, a goal from Christopher Nkunku, one from Pedro Neto, and another from Kiernan Dewbury-Hall in the second half of extra time gave Chelsea a 4-1 win and quarterfinals qualification, eliminating Benfica, who played extra time with 10 men due to the expulsion of Gianluca Prestianni.
It was a harsh punishment for the Portuguese representative who, thanks to a penalty converted in stoppage time and converted by Ángel Di María, forced extra time. But afterward, they felt the need to play with one less player and resigned themselves to a heavy defeat in a crazy match that was interrupted for two hours.
Before a break due to the threat of a thunderstorm, Chelsea dominated the match and the scoreboard with a goal from Reece James in the 64th minute, but the suspension five minutes from time opened a new door for Benfica, which they did not waste. However, in the end, Chelsea took advantage of the situation and achieved a clear victory.
Enzo Maresca’s team will face Palmeiras in the quarterfinals, after previously eliminating Botafogo. apa-dvp/tw
