Chelsea eliminate Palmeiras and advance to the Club World Cup semi-finals

Chelsea eliminated Palmeiras 2-1 on Friday and will face another Brazilian team, Fluminense, in the Club World Cup semifinals.

The English team dominated the first half with a goal from Cole Palmer, but Palmeiras reacted in the second half and leveled the score through Estevao.

The end of Palmeiras' dream in this tournament was particularly cruel, as Chelsea sealed the victory with an own goal in the 83rd minute after a rebound from Agustín Giay that Weverton could not deflect.

Furthermore, Palmeiras were unable to exact revenge on a Chelsea side that, in their only previous meeting to date, had defeated them 2-1 in extra time in the 2022 Club World Cup final, still in the old format, thanks to a goal from Kai Havertz in the 117th minute.

Played on the American Fourth of July holiday and in Philadelphia, where the Declaration of Independence was signed, tonight's match marked the farewell to Palmeiras for Estevao, an 18-year-old Brazilian gem who has already completed his transfer to Chelsea and who bid farewell by scoring a goal for his former team.

The spotlight was on Estevao tonight, as well as on Pedro Neto, a friend and teammate on the Portuguese national team of the late Diogo Jota.

There were doubts about whether he would be fit to play, but Neto ultimately started for Chelsea and paid tribute to Diogo Jota and his brother André Silva by wearing a shirt bearing their names during the pre-match session and a minute's silence at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, USA.

On the sporting front, Reece James' injury during the warm-up opened the door for Andrey Santos in Chelsea's starting lineup, in a midfield without the suspended Moisés Caicedo.

Palmeiras coach Abel Ferreira had even more problems with the absence of three of his four starting defenders: Murilo due to injury (Bruno Fuchs in his place) and Gustavo Gómez and Joaquín Piquerez due to cards (Micael and Vanderlan as substitutes).

British rule

Taking away a couple of Palmeiras counterattacks, Chelsea took control from the start with flying colors.

Enzo Fernández appeared dangerous from the second line and Marc Cucurella came in expertly from the left, but it was Palmer who made the difference above all.

The Londoners' No. 10 brilliantly found the gaps between the center-backs and the midfielders of a Palmeiras side that was too soft in their defense. Every time Palmer received the ball in that area, the Verdao fans trembled.

The Blues' first goal came from precisely that source. Palmer controlled the ball on the edge of the box, turned with class, took advantage of Liam Delap's blundering run, and blasted the ball into the net with his left foot, perfectly aligning the post.

England's dominance was approaching an avalanche, and Enzo Maresca's team had multiple chances to make it 2-0 against a harmless and overpowered Palmeiras. Christopher Nkunku missed one of the clearest opportunities, leaving Chelsea completely comfortable.

Estevao's isolated forays were the only redeeming feature for the Brazilians, and a header from Vanderlan was their only chance before the break.

Estevao responds but Palmeiras says goodbye

Palmeiras took a step forward in the second half against a Chelsea side that agreed to give up the ball. Then Estevao appeared.

Richard Ríos delivered a powerful cross from the right and Estevao raced past the opposing defense and, with a brilliant right-footed shot from almost no angle, surprised Robert Sánchez and restored hope to the Palmeiras fans.

It was only the 53rd minute, but Maresca didn't waste a second and brought on Noni Madueke and Joao Pedro, who made his Chelsea debut, showing signs of quality just two days after his signing was made official.

However, the game had changed with a gritty Palmeiras side, more dangerous in transitions, and also making moves by bringing on Paulinho and Mauricio.

The match was already broken, with a constant back-and-forth, and Chelsea, who improved with the substitutions, got the second goal with a very unfortunate play for Palmeiras in which neither Giay nor Weverton knew how to clear the ball.

Chelsea finished the match with poise, giving Palmeiras no more chances in defeat.

The semifinal against Fluminense will be Chelsea's third match against a Brazilian team in this tournament, having lost 3-1 to Flamengo in the group stage.