A crowd of just 22,137 watched the Blues beat Los Angeles FC in the 71,000-capacity Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
There was a sparse crowd in Atlanta (Jason Getz/AP)open image in gallery
There was a sparse crowd in Atlanta (Jason Getz/AP) (AP)
Your support helps us to tell the story
Support Now
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.
Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca praised his players for dealing with a “strange” environment after kicking off their Club World Cup campaign with a victory in front of almost 50,000 empty seats.
The Blues beat Los Angeles FC 2-0 in their Group D opener at the 71,000-capacity Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta in a fixture watched by a crowd of just 22,137 on Monday afternoon as a debate over the level of interest in FIFA’s new-look competition raged on.
Speaking at his post-match press conference, Maresca, said: “I think the environment was a bit strange, the stadium was almost empty, not full.
“We are professional and we have to adapt to the situation, to the environment. You have to adapt when you play with a full stadium. You have to adapt when the stadium is not full, but it doesn’t matter.”
Asked about the poor attendance, opposite number Steve Cherundolo was diplomatic.
The LAFC boss said: “I think it is different each game you look at. In the Rose Bowl in LA, there was a huge crowd for the game between PSG and Atletico Madrid. Maybe LA likes football more than Atlanta? I don’t know, we should judge at the end.”
Maresca was nevertheless pleased with Chelsea’s performance, but was already looking towards Friday’s clash with Flamengo in Philadelphia.
Pedro Neto broke the deadlock in the 34th minute to give the Premier League side a deserved lead at the interval, and they wrapped up victory in the 79th minute when summer signing Liam Delap crossed for fellow substitute Enzo Fernandez to tap in from close range.
Maresca praised debutant Delap and quickly switched his attention to the fixture against Brazilian outfit Flamengo.
He said on Channel 5: “Very good result. At this stage of the season it is also normal that you have to manage different kinds of things. Overall the performance has been good.
How to watch logo
Get 4 months free with ExpressVPN
Servers in 105 Countries
Superior Speeds
Works on all your devices
Try for free
ADVERTISEMENT. If you sign up to this service we will earn commission. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.
How to watch logo
Get 4 months free with ExpressVPN
Servers in 105 Countries
Superior Speeds
Works on all your devices
Try for free
ADVERTISEMENT. If you sign up to this service we will earn commission. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.
“We have to recover. We have a game in three days so we will see. We are going to prepare in the best way and for sure try to win.
“The good thing about Liam is he knows the way we want to play so the process is quite quick. Also we gave a chance to Dario Essugo which is another player we have, so it’s good for both of them.”
Delap signed from Ipswich for £30million 12 days ago and it took him just 15 minutes to register his first goal contribution.
The 22-year-old said: “It’s a really happy feeling for me. I’m so excited to be here and to play my first game, and be able to contribute is a good feeling.
“The team have welcomed me really well. I have only had a few sessions here but I am excited for more.
“It is good to help the team but I want to score some as well.
“It is always good to have competition, this is football. It is an incredible club and it is always going to be incredibly hard but you have to thrive off the competition.”