Chelsea scored the first goal in the 13th minute through Pedro Neto, who finished off a silky counterattack following Flamengo’s defensive errors. The Blues struggled to gain any extra possession up until halftime.
The Blues struggled to control the game in the second half, and they soon paid for it. Flamengo substitute Bruno Henrique leveled the score in the 62nd minute with a calm finish, and Danilo scored just three minutes later to take it to 2-1.
Then Nicolas Jackson was red-carded for a loose tackle, leaving Chelsea with 10 men, which added to their meltdown. Wallace Yan finished icing on the cake in the 83rd minute to record an incredible turnaround for Flamengo.
Chelsea Player Ratings
Robert Sanchez – 5
Nervous in the beginning with sloppy passes that almost cost his side goals, but calmed down and made some decent stops. Effectively helpless to stop the three goals.
Malo Gusto – 5
Dominant in early battles and defensive engagements, but lost his bearings in the second half. He misjudged the cross for the first goal horribly and leaped poorly in the aerial battle that ended with Danilo’s equalizer.
Trevoh Chalobah – 4
Part of the build-up play and contributed a lot in possession, but not much in defense, as key moments went past him.
Levi Colwill – 6
Made a high-class instinctive clearance off the line and was otherwise alright. However, his attitude, particularly on the third goal, left something to be desired.
Marc Cucurella – 5
A couple of fouls marred his game, although he did intercept that fateful cross on the half-time stroke.
Reece James – 5
Miscommunication with Chalobah nearly cost Chelsea in the first few minutes of the second half. He was taken off shortly after Flamengo scored their first.
Moises Caicedo – 6
Made physical tackles, high-pressing, and won five duels in the first half and three in the second half. However, the midfield structure disintegrated once they were down to ten men.
Enzo Fernandez – 5.5
Had a good first 45 minutes, but wandered into attacking positions in the second half in an attempt to salvage the game. It was not enough, though.
Pedro Neto – 7
Brought an instant moment of class with his finish. However, he faded after his first-half heroics and offered little in the second half.
Cole Palmer – 4.5
Showed positive work rate at the start of the second half. Otherwise, he was absent: three first-half passes, twelve overall, before being substituted late.
Liam Delap – 5.5
Utilized his power effectively to unsettle defenders and created a gilt-edged opportunity in the first half. He was substituted before the Blues collapsed.
Substitutes
Nicolas Jackson – 1
Summoned on after 64 minutes but was dismissed four minutes later for a studs-up tackle on Ayrton Lucas. A massive contribution to Chelsea’s failures, as he took them down to 10 men for an unnecessary challenge.
Romeo Lavia – 5
Brought on to add some heft to the midfield, but was overshadowed by the red card and increasing defensive collapse behind him.
Noni Madueke – 6
Delivered a badly needed speed boost after being substituted into the game and running at Flamengo in stoppage time.
Marc Guiu – 5.5
Missed a late effort when his shot was denied by a block from Flamengo’s goalkeeper.