Chelsea Edge Palmeiras 2-1 With Late Own Goal, Advance To Club World Cup Semifinals

A late own goal deflected off Palmeiras defender Agustin Giay sealed a 2-1 victory for Chelsea in Philadelphia, securing the Premier League side’s spot in the Club World Cup semifinals.

The decisive moment came when Malo Gusto fired a shot from the right flank that deflected off Richard Rios and Giay before slipping past goalkeeper Weverton into the net.

Chelsea will now face Fluminense on Tuesday in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The Brazilian club had earlier defeated Al Hilal 2-1.

Cole Palmer opened the scoring for Chelsea in the 16th minute, silencing critics who had questioned his form despite leading the team in attempts on goal during the tournament. Palmer dribbled from the edge of the box and slotted a powerful left-footed strike past Weverton after receiving a pass from Trevoh Chalobah.

“I’ve been working on that shot in training. I just saw the space and went for it,” Palmer told DAZN. “The manager told us to stay calm, move the ball around, and the goals would come.”

Palmer’s goal was later matched by a brilliant equalizer from Estevao in the 53rd minute. The Palmeiras wonderkid — who has already agreed to join Chelsea but remains ineligible until he turns 18 — stunned fans with a tight-angle finish.

“You can see Estevao is a top player,” Palmer added. “We’re excited to have him join us after the tournament.”

Joao Pedro also made his debut for Chelsea in the 54th minute, just two days after his move from Brighton & Hove Albion was confirmed. The Brazilian forward contributed 10 goals and six assists for Brighton last season.

Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca praised his team’s resilience and the overall performance.

“It was a tough match, as expected. We needed a lot of energy, and the players delivered,” Maresca told DAZN. “I’m happy with the win — and happy that Estevao scored. It was the perfect night.”

Meanwhile, Real Madrid will take on Borussia Dortmund, and Paris Saint-Germain face Bayern Munich in the remaining quarterfinals on Saturday.