Chelsea surrendered a one-goal lead to suffer a 3-1 defeat against Brazil’s Flamengo in their second fixture of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup on Friday.
The Premier League side, who beat Los Angeles FC 2-0 in their opening match, looked set to secure early qualification for the knockout stage when Pedro Neto opened the scoring in the first half with a clinical finish.
But Flamengo turned the game around after the break. Bruno Henrique equalized before Danilo fired the Brazilian side into the lead.
Chelsea’s hopes of a comeback were dealt a further blow when substitute Nicolas Jackson received a straight red card for a reckless tackle just minutes after replacing Liam Delap.
With Chelsea down to 10 men, Wallace Yan sealed the result with a third goal, condemning the Blues to a disappointing collapse in Philadelphia.
Chelsea will now face a must-win final group match to keep their Club World Cup hopes alive.
