Bruno Henrique #27 of CR Flamengo (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA - Flamengo and Chelsea faced off in Philadelphia on Friday in a pivotal clash for control of Group D. With both teams winning their first group stage match 2-0, the top spot in Group D was up for grabs. Whoever won in the City of Brotherly Love would book their ticket for the knockout round, and whoever lost would have to wait for the final group stage match to confirm their spot.
As early as one day before the match, it became clear that Flamengo was going to make its presence known—they weren’t going to tweak their style simply to counteract Chelsea’s threat. Speaking to RG prior to the game, Flamengo manager Filipe Luís said:
“We have watched Chelsea throughout the season. They are a reference point for their game and a model for us coaches who are constantly evolving to copy.Tactically, they are a team with a perfect model, with many solutions for all types of pressure. Both Chelsea, which has great players, and any club in the European elite have mechanisms and individual solutions, especially to overcome the adversities they have been creating.
We are going to play a game against a club from the absolute elite of world football, where it is a privilege to be able to participate in this type of match. We believe that we will have a chance.”
As Salvadoran referee Iván Barton blew the opening whistle, Flamengo fans began to release a flotilla of red, black and white balloons onto the pitch (representing the club’s colors) and drowned out the Chelsea fans with their cacophonous cheers. The Brazilian side imposed its game from the offset, dominating possession and playing in the opposition’s half, but Chelsea nevertheless managed to cut them open in transition with a few quick passes. We saw this in the fifth minute when, after a quick passing exchange between Moisés Caicedo and Enzo Fernández, Liam Delap charged into the box and uncorked a shot at the near post, which Flamengo goalkeeper Agustín Rossi deflected above the bar. Eight minutes later, Pedro Neto pounced on an individual mistake from Wesley and tucked in the opener for Chelsea—a goal that was very much against the run of play.
Despite this early shortcoming, Flamengo continued to impose itself on the match, racking up a number of dangerous set pieces and opportunities. Chelsea never looked remotely comfortable, and eventually, the facade of invincibility wore off—Flamengo began to fine-tune its finishing. After just over an hour played, Gerson fired a cross into the path of Gonzalo Plata, who headed it toward Bruno Henrique. Merely six minutes after coming on, Henrique coolly tucked the equalizer into the back of the net.
Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca responded by subbing on Nicolas Jackson and Roméo Lavia for Liam Delap and Reece James. A few seconds after that double substitution, Henrique climbed above Malo Gusto and headed a corner kick toward the path of Danilo, who fired into the back of the net. Worse was to come just a couple of minutes later when, while challenging for a ball at the halfway line, Jackson left his feet and planted his studs into the shin of Ayrton Lucas. Neither Barton nor anyone else was in any doubt about what was to come next: Jackson’s second red card in four matches. As legendary sportscaster Martin Tyler remarked to me after the match: “Some substitutions win you games, and some substitutions lose you games.”
From that point on, the floodgates opened for Flamengo. Just a few seconds after coming off the bench, Wallace got on the end of a brilliant passing interchange and converted the decisive winner in the 83rd minute to secure a 3-1 victory. Flamengo became the first of the 32 teams to confirm its spot in the round of 16, while Chelsea needs to take care of business in its following match vs. Espérance Sportive de Tunis.
But while Flamengo and Filipe Luís have earned the praise of viewers from all across the world, Chelsea and Maresca find themselves under increasing scrutiny, despite only just winning the UEFA Conference League a few weeks ago. The Italian’s decision to experiment with a new system blew up in his face, with right back Reece James starting in central midfield alongside Moisés Caicedo and Enzo Fernández pushing forward as an interior attacking midfielder alongside Cole Palmer.
With no real double pivot, Flamengo was able to cut through Chelsea’s midfield with ease and secure the three points, meaning that it can take its foot off the gas for the final group stage match vs. already eliminated LAFC. Nevertheless, Maresca remained coy about his tactical experiment and his decision to field Reece in midfield over more natural midfielders like Andrey Santos, Dário Essugo and Roméo Lavia, stating to RG afterward:
After Botafogo’s win against Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain, as well as Palmeiras and Fluminense’s stalemates against Porto and Borussia Dortmund, it was yet another example of a Brazilian team dominating a European outfit in the Club World Cup.
“I believe that all the Brazilian clubs that are here are not thinking about vindicating good football for Brazil… we are thinking about winning,” stated Filipe Luís to RG after the match. “If that helps Brazilian football, all the better, but I am not thinking about that. I am here thinking simply about Flamengo. One of the reasons why the Brazilian teams are doing well is the level of competitiveness. As South Americans, we view each game as if it were a final, which makes a big difference.”
Zach Lowy
