Blue Reign in the Peach State, Chelsea Silences LAFC 2-0

Goals from Pedro Neto and Enzo Fernandez on either side of halftime gave Chelsea control of Group D at the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup as they defeated LAFC 2-0 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

After LAFC had a decent bit of possession in the opening minutes as Chelsea tried to counter, the game settled into its expected pattern. The Blues held 65% of possession and outshot LAFC 17-7, but the Black & Gold were pretty comfortable defending deep throughout the match.

Moments of individual brilliance decided the match. Pedro Neto snuck in behind Ryan Hollingshead in the 34th minute and was discovered with a brilliant pass from Nicolas Jackson. Hollingshead tried to recover, but Neto cut back on him on the dribble inside the 18, sending Hollingshead sliding past. That created the space for the Portuguese winger to slam a low shot past Hugo Lloris at the near post.

Chelsea debutant Liam Delap created the second goal with clever movement wide, Cole Palmer delivered the pass to him in behind that opened up what had been an increasingly aggressive LAFC backline. Delap got his head up and spotted Enzo Fernandez charging through the middle of the 18-yard-box, picked him out with a cross, and Fernandez was able to settle the ball under pressure and beat Lloris from close range.

LAFC had their opportunities between the goals to get on the board, but were unable to break through the Blues’ backline led by center backs Tosin Adarabioyo and Levi Colwill. Aaron Long in the losing effort was a rock defensively for the Black & Gold, and David Martinez was a threat down the right wing consistently in the second half after coming into the match late in the first half following a head injury suffered by Nathan Ordaz.

The combination of Reece James in the first half and Malo Gusto in the second half bottled up Denis Bouanga, who struggled to stamp his impact on the match.

Group D continues tonight as Flamengo of Brazil faces Tunisia’s Esperance Tunis in Philadelphia at 9pm. Chelsea will face the Brazilians in their second match on Friday in Philadelphia while LAFC will travel to Nashville to face Esperance.

(Photos: Sofia Cupertino for the SDH Network)