Club WC: Chelsea edge Palmeiras to reach semis

Philadelphia, July 5 (IANS) A late Weverton own-goal saw Chelsea eke out a 2-1 victory over Palmeiras in their FIFA Club World Cup quarter-final at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.

Cole Palmer opened the scoring for Chelsea in the first half, helping the Blues set up a semi-final clash with fellow Brazilian side Fluminense in New York on Wednesday (IST), with a place in the final up for grabs.

Palmeiras responded strongly after the break, with teenage sensation Estevao - who is set to join Chelsea - netting a stunning equaliser from a tight angle in the 53rd minute.

“Tough game as we expected,” said Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca. “First half, I think we were a little bit better compared to the second half, we controlled the game much better.

"But then they scored and the game changed but at the end we scored and I think we deserved to win. Congratulations to the players, because they have been very good.”

Despite the absence of key midfielders Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia, Chelsea started brightly. Andrey Santos, 21, made his first start for the club after joining two and a half years ago. Chelsea dominated possession early, with Pedro Neto proving a constant menace for the Palmeiras defence down the right wing.

Palmer opened the scoring in the 16th minute, collecting a pass from Trevoh Chalobah on the edge of the area before weaving past three defenders with ease and curling a precise left-footed shot into the bottom corner.

Despite dominating the first half, Chelsea missed several clear chances -most notably when Christopher Nkunku fired over the bar in the 34th minute with only goalkeeper Weverton to beat.

Palmeiras, without key defenders Joaquin Piquerez, Gustavo Gomez, and Murilo, found it difficult to cope with Chelsea’s fluid attacking play in the opening period. However, they returned from halftime with renewed purpose.

They came close to levelling the score when Bruno Fuchs sent a header just wide from a corner before Estevao produced a moment of brilliance worthy of goal-of-the-tournament consideration.

The 18-year-old winger displayed his remarkable talent, cutting inside from the right, skipping past Levi Colwill, and unleashing a powerful strike from a tight angle that soared over Robert Sanchez and crashed in off the underside of the crossbar.

“Happy because we won, happy because he scored, so it's a perfect night,” Maresca added about his new signing.

At a moment when Palmeiras appeared most dangerous, Chelsea snatched the winner at the other end. Malo Gusto exploited space down the left, and his attempted cross took a deflection off defender Fuchs, catching Weverton off guard. The ball ricocheted off the goalkeeper’s back and into the net, dashing Palmeiras' hopes of setting up an all-Brazilian semi-final.

--IANS

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