Chelsea secured a 2-0 victory against Los Angeles FC in their Club World Cup Group D opener on Monday in Atlanta, with goals from Pedro Neto and Enzo Fernandez, while new signing Liam Delap made his debut as a substitute in front of a sparse crowd of 22,000 at the 71,000-capacity Mercedes-Benz Stadium.The match marked Chelsea’s first step in their campaign following their UEFA Conference League triumph and Champions League qualification.Chelsea coach Enzo Maresca praised the team’s performance and Delap’s contribution.“The good thing about Liam is he knows the way we want to play, so the process is quite quick,” said the Italian.“The environment was a bit strange, the stadium was almost empty, not full,” Maresca told reporters.The 3:00 pm local time kick-off on a Monday affected attendance significantly, despite the stadium’s closed roof providing shelter from Georgia’s summer heat.A small group of LAFC supporters, numbering in the hundreds, maintained atmosphere with drums and songs behind Hugo Lloris’ goal.LAFC entered the competition after beating Club America in a May play-off, replacing the banned Mexican side Club Leon.The low attendance, with the top ring completely closed and other levels partially filled despite reduced ticket prices, marked the first significant challenge for FIFA’s expanded competition.The tournament serves as a trial run for the 2026 World Cup, which will be hosted jointly by the US, Canada, and Mexico.Chelsea dominated the early proceedings, with Lloris saving attempts from Nicolas Jackson and Noni Madueke, while Cole Palmer’s shot went just over.Jackson, competing for his starting position with new arrival Delap watching from the bench, played a crucial role in the opening goal.The striker provided an excellent through ball to Neto, who skilfully manoeuvred past LA defender Ryan Hollingshead before scoring with a powerful near-post shot.Former Chelsea striker Olivier Giroud’s introduction at halftime helped improve LAFC’s performance in the second half.Chelsea faced pressure as goalkeeper Sanchez made a crucial save against Denis Bouanga, the 2023 MLS golden boot winner, after he broke free from Neto’s marking.Delap made his Chelsea debut after the hour mark, immediately showing promise by attempting to set up Fernandez.The match concluded with Fernandez scoring Chelsea’s second goal, controlling Delap’s cross from the right and beating Lloris in the six-yard box.LA coach Cherundolo addressed the attendance concerns with measured response.“Regarding crowds I think it’s kind of different each game you look at so I don’t think we should be talking about this right now,” said Cherundolo. “I think we should wait until the end of the tournament…(to make) an opinion about it as a whole, as opposed to one game.”Boca Juniors denied by Benfica‘s ArgentinesBenfica secured a dramatic 2-2 draw against Boca Juniors in a Club World Cup Group C match at Miami Gardens, with Argentine internationals Angel Di Maria and Nicolas Otamendi scoring for the Portuguese side. Despite being reduced to 10 men, Benfica fought back from a 2-0 deficit to deny Boca Juniors victory in what was essentially a home game for the Argentine club.Boca Juniors had established a commanding lead through goals from Miguel Merentiel and Rodrigo Battaglia. The atmosphere was electric with 55,574 spectators, predominantly Boca supporters, filling the Hard Rock Stadium.Thousands of Boca fans had gathered on Miami Beach over the weekend for a traditional ‘banderazo’, creating a festive atmosphere with singing and flag-waving in the heat.The match began with intense pressure from Boca Juniors, showcasing their determination to prove themselves against European competition. The first significant reaction from the crowd came when Di Maria received a tough challenge from behind.Lautaro Blanco’s skillful play led to the opening goal in the 21st minute. He beat Benfica’s Florentino with a nutmeg before delivering a low cross that Merentiel cleverly converted.Boca doubled their lead six minutes later when Battaglia headed home from close range, connecting with Ayrton Costa’s header from Kevin Zenon’s corner.Benfica got back into the game through a VAR-awarded penalty, which included a red card for the already substituted Boca midfielder Ander Herrera for protesting. Di Maria converted the spot-kick just before halftime.The match took another turn when Benfica’s Andrea Belotti received a red card in the 71st minute for a dangerous high kick to Ayrton Costa’s head.Despite being a man down, Benfica found an equaliser in the 84th minute through Otamendi, who headed in Orkun Kokcu’s corner kick. The match ended with Boca’s Nicolas Figal receiving a red card for a dangerous challenge on Florentino.“We’re left with a bitter taste because we thought we could have won it. We gave our all, we competed, we ran… we played the way we needed to, but we’re left with a bitter taste because we didn’t know how to take advantage of having an extra man, and they scored from a set piece,” said Boca defender Rodrigo Battaglia.“We tried to win it. We know what Argentinian football is. We knew how we had to play, but in the first half we didn’t play that way. We needed a bit more. In the second half we played much better. We tried to win the game at the end, but we couldn’t quite do it,” said Di Maria.Bayern Munich and Auckland FC are the other teams in Group C of the Club World Cup.FIFA Club World Cup Results:Group C: Boca Juniors 2-2 Benfica (Merentiel 21′, Battaglia 27′; Di Maria 45+3′ pen, Otamendi 84′)Group D: Chelsea 2-0 Los Angeles FC (Neto 34′, Fernandez 79′)Group D: Flamengo 2-0 Esperance (De Arrascaeta 17′, Luiz Araujo 70′)
