🎥 Chelsea 4-1, into quarters: Benfica out, Di Maria says goodbye | OneFootball

The match between Chelsea and Benfica was not just a football game: it was an epic, a multi-act film, a thriller with twists, interruptions, comebacks, and a pyrotechnic finale.

On the field in Charlotte, the Club World Cup challenge lasted almost five hours, suspended for two hours due to a lightning alert. It seemed like everything was over at 86', with Chelsea ahead thanks to a masterpiece goal from a free kick by Reece James, but the storm changed the script.

Upon resumption, Di Maria's penalty rewrote history, dragging the match into extra time. There, a Benfica with ten men collapsed under the blows of the Blues, who scored three more goals.

A game destined to remain in the annals not only for its duration but also for the symbolic farewell of a champion like Di Maria, for Prestianni's madness, and for the icy coolness of Maresca's Chelsea, which now flies to the quarterfinals against Palmeiras.

⚡ Infinite match under lightning

Four minutes from the end, Chelsea controlled the 1-0 lead with authority, thanks to James' masterful goal from a free kick, and the stands were already savoring the celebration.

But suddenly, everything stopped. The electrically charged clouds, the lightning discharges near the stadium, forced the referee to suspend the game for safety reasons.

A surreal scene: players in the locker rooms, the public waiting for two hours, while the weather seemed to mock everyone with flashes of sunshine alternating with lightning on the horizon.

A football game turned into a psychological marathon, with tense nerves and concentration to be rediscovered. When the game resumed, the tension was sky-high: those three remaining minutes plus recovery became hell for the Blues and the spark for Benfica's comeback.

🎯 Super James: magic from a free kick

The goal that had led Chelsea to believe they had already put the game in the bag came from Reece James, captain and symbol of the Blues. At 64', from an impossible position, he unleashed a tense and precise free kick that surprised Trubin, slipping into the corner.

A ballistic jewel, a shot from a great player that bent Benfica's resistance, at least until the suspension. James' magic will remain one of the most iconic moments of this football marathon.

🇦🇷 Di Maria's last dance

Ángel Di Maria couldn't have chosen a crazier stage to bid farewell to Europe. A few days from his return to Rosario Central, El Fideo scores the penalty that keeps Benfica alive, giving them a glimmer of hope.

With the coldness of a veteran, he surprises the goalkeeper and scores his 51st goal in the Portuguese jersey. It's his fourth goal in the tournament, which makes him the temporary top scorer of the Club World Cup.

After a first half in the shadows, Di Maria transforms into the man of providence, reminding the world why he has been a protagonist in the Champions League and on the big stages for years.

But the magic lasts little: in extra time, his team collapses, and he bids farewell to Europe amidst tears, anger, and pride. A farewell worthy of a great player, regardless of the outcome.

⚽ Crazy extra time and Chelsea's avalanche

Di Maria's penalty could have led the game to a penalty shootout and transformed the match into an even greater epic.

But in extra time, the balance breaks immediately: Benfica remains with ten men, and Chelsea, after trembling, breaks through the dam. Nkunku signs the 2-1 goal, taking advantage of a defensive distraction, unleashing the liberating scream of the Blues fans.

From then on, Benfica yields physically and mentally: Pedro Neto doubles the score in a counterattack at 114', while Dewsbury-Hall closes the game three minutes later, putting the seal on a night that seemed endless.

The extra time turns into a triumphant parade for Maresca's team, capable of getting back up after the thrill of the equalizer and showing ruthless cynicism.

🔴 Prestianni, costly madness

Gianluca Prestianni enters the field to give freshness and dynamism to Benfica, but his game turns into a nightmare.

Already booked, he receives a second yellow card at the start of extra time, leaving his team with ten men at the most delicate moment.

A madness that condemns the Portuguese team, forced to face Chelsea's assault with one man less and legs already tired after the long wait and the battle of regular time.

Prestianni's ingenuity weighs like a boulder: his expulsion is the turning point that paves the way for Chelsea's final goal fest. A heavy stain for the young talent, who will now have to live with the bitterness of having left his teammates in trouble.

💪 Chelsea in the quarterfinals: now a challenge against Palmeiras

After risking a shock and suffering Benfica's lightning-fast comeback, Chelsea takes back the stage and closes the match with authority.

Maresca's team proves to be cynical, mentally and technically superior in the decisive moments.

The Blues thus fly to the quarterfinals, where they will face Palmeiras, one of the tournament's revelations, capable of surprising with tactical organization and aggressiveness.

For Chelsea, it's a challenge that's anything but simple: concentration, rhythm, and fewer blackouts will be needed to avoid complicating their lives as they did against Benfica. But the quality and depth of the squad leave room for optimism: if Maresca can keep the tension high, the Blues can dream of the final and a world title.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇮🇹 here.

📸 FEDERICO PARRA - AFP or licensors