Pedro Neto scored in the first half and Enzo Fernandez in the 79th minute to give Chelsea a 2-0 win over Los Angeles FC in Group D’s Club World Cup opener on Monday.
Chelsea put pressure on LAFC goalkeeper Hugo Lloris early in the match. Neto scored in the 34th minute, picking up a pass from Nicolas Jackson and cutting onto his left foot for a near-post finish.
There were 22,137 fans in attendance at the 71,000-capacity Mercedes-Benz Stadium, many of them backing LAFC. The Black and Gold had positive sparks of energy and possession throughout the first half, but struggled to find any real opportunities in front of goal.
LAFC almost got one back just before the 60-minute mark, but Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez came up with a save to keep Denis Bouanga off the scoresheet. The Black and Gold aimed to get some more experience onto the pitch at the half, bringing on former Chelsea man Olivier Giroud.
Giroud made a stir as he subbed on when he had to wait on the sidelines for a matchday shirt with his name and number. The mixup led to a delay at the start of the second half.
Coming in off the bench, Fernandez made no mistake finishing Liam Delap’s cross, adding an insurance goal for The Blues.
Chelsea’s day was made even more positive by the debut of Delap, a promising 22-year-old English striker signed from Ipswich Town.
While Chelsea is the favorite to top Group D, LAFC's next two matches become essential to moving on to the knock-out rounds. LAFC vs. Flamengo will prove to be an entertaining game, with the two sides most likely battling it out for the group's second spot.
"It’s a high level against a quality team. If you give them a moment, they’ll punish you. They had two chances, and they punished us," said Marky Delgado, LAFC midfielder.
"We know they’ve got amazing players and they’re a really good team, but we’ve got to play our football. No matter who we’re playing, we play our football really confident. ... You’ve got to pick your moments, and I think we’ve done that well today," said Levi Colwill, Chelsea defender.
