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Nicolas Jackson sent off in Chelsea’s six minutes of madness

Where does this leave Chelsea? Not just in terms of an imploding Club World Cup campaign but also for next season, as well? And what does it say of the players and head coach Enzo Maresca that they simply fell apart?

There were six minutes of ill-disciplined madness in which they conceded twice, to lose a 1-0 lead, and had substitute Nicolas Jackson deservedly sent off for an ugly, ugly over-the-ball challenge. But, in truth, they were thoroughly outplayed by Flamengo.

Jackson had only been on the pitch for four minutes, having replaced Liam Delap who made his full debut, as Chelsea surrendered their advantage with yet another catalogue of errors and poor defending.

While the referee, Ivan Barton of El Salvador, had been quick to issue bookings throughout this fiery encounter – Maresca described his display as “a bit strange” – it was certainly a deserved red card which again raises questions over Jackson’s temperament.

What does it mean for Jackson? He faces strong competition from Delap to be Chelsea’s centre-forward but, on the basis of this and some of his other antics, such as his elbow and dismissal against Newcastle United in May, it is not even a question.

On his 24th birthday it was Jackson’s sixth red card of his career and a second in four games and there will be an automatic one-match ban which Fifa can – and surely will – upgrade to more. He certainly misses the final group fixture against ES Tunis and his campaign might be over.

“What do I think?” Maresca said. “It was a red card, nothing to say.” Later he said he was not “A hundred per cent” sure about the dismissal but goodness knows what replay he had watched while his claim that the “dynamic” changed in those six minutes was also not true. Flamengo were always on top.

Marc Cucurella added that Jackson had apologised in the dressing room and the striker issued a statement saying: “I want to say sorry. To the club, the staff, my team-mates and all the fans watching, I let you down. Another red card and honestly, I’m so angry at myself. I work hard every day to help the team not to put us in this kind of situation.

“I still don’t fully understand how it happened. But one thing is clear: it wasn’t intentional. Just a football moment that went the wrong way. No excuses. I take full responsibility. I’ll reflect, I’ll grow, and I’ll come back stronger for the badge and for everyone who believes in me. Sorry. Sorry. Sorry.”

Former Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel, on TV pundit duties, said Maresca “had a decision to make on Jackson”. And by that he meant selling him or not.

Maresca got tactics all wrong

For Maresca this was also a terrible performance. He must look at himself and his tactics. This was humbling; almost humiliating and he appeared to hugely under-estimate the opposition.

Maresca got his tactics all wrong, experimenting with his line-up and using captain Reece James in central midfield where he struggled and kept losing the ball.

Similarly Maresca pushed Cole Palmer out to the right of midfield – why? – and the England international clearly did not enjoy it. As for Enzo Fernández. Was he also in the middle? Or on the left? Or just doing his own thing?

“We tried to do something different. Flamengo deserved it, congrats to them, that’s it. I think they deserved it,” Maresca said. But why is he experimenting in this tournament?

“In the last two days we tried something completely different,” he explained. “For the first time in a different structure and to prepare for next season.” The question of whether Chelsea are taking this tournament seriously must be asked.

As for the best midfielder on show. That would be 33-year-old Jorginho newly signed from Arsenal and having been in the Chelsea side that won the Champions League in 2021 and qualified them for this tournament.

And so Flamengo, managed by former Chelsea defender Filipe Luís, celebrated their win which means they are likely to top Group D and face a far easier game in the first knock-out round.

If so, it would probably send Chelsea into a last-16 tie in Charlotte against Bayern Munich. If Chelsea had topped the group they would have played Boca Juniors or Benfica in Miami.

Chelsea blew it. Having been gifted the lead through a mix-up in the Palmeiras defence, allowing Pedro Neto to run through from halfway to score his second goal of the tournament, they were overrun.

In fact, could we get a Brazilian side winning this trophy? A day after Botafogo beat Paris St-Germain and became the first South American side to defeat a European opponent at the Club World Cup since Corinthians in 2012 – against Chelsea – it happened again.

It is eight games played by teams from South America so far and not one has lost. They do, indeed, appear far more motivated and, obviously, less fatigued as they are mid-season. They also appear to value this competition more than the European clubs. If that is true then here was an irrefutable piece of evidence to support it.

Substitute Bruno Henrique drew Flamengo level, with the ball headed back across the Chelsea penalty area and allowed to reach him by goalkeeper Robert Sánchez, who was again unconvincing. Then it was repeated with the striker turning provider and former Manchester City defender Danilo heading home.

So one substitute won the game and another lost it, although Chelsea would probably have lost anyway. They were playing that badly. There was no way back as they gave up chance after chance and how woeful they were was summed up as Flamengo passed the ball under minimal pressure from one end to the other and with another substitute, Wallace Yan, beating Sánchez. By then their raucous fans were “oleing” every pass and the ignominy was complete.

Flamengo (4-2-3-1): Rossi 7; Wesley 6 (Varela 82), Danilo 7, Pereira 7, Lucas 7; Pulgar 6, Jorginho 8; Gerson 7 (Yan 74), De Arrascaeta 6 (Henrique 56), Araujo 7 (Michael 90); Plata 8 (Pedro 90).

Booked: Pulgar, Gerson, Plata.

Chelsea (4-1-4-1): Sanchez 5; Gusto 5, Chalobah 5, Colwill 5, Cucurella 5; Caicedo 5; Palmer 5 (Guiu 82), James 4 (Lavia 64), Fernandez 5 (Madueke 82), Neto 7; Delap 6 (Jackson 64).

Booked: Caicedo, Neto, Delap.

Sent off: Jackson.

Referee: Ivan Barton (El Salvador).

09:49 PM BST

Thanks for joining us

That brings our coverage of Chelsea’s 3-1 defeat against Flamengo to an end.

Having taken the lead in the opening period, Enzo Maresca’s side imploded in the second half, conceding two goals in the space of four minutes before Nicolas Jackson was sent off three minutes later, just moments after coming on.

The Brazilian side sealed victory with a third goal late on to claim top spot in Group D.

Thank you for joining us!

09:44 PM BST

‘I don’t see leaders’ - Mikel on current Chelsea squad

Some more from Mikel: “When you talk about leaders, people that can be on the pitch and control the game and their team-mates - that is what Chelsea had when the likes of John Terry and Didier Drogba were at the club.

“People who can call the players around and say, ‘Listen, let’s calm down a bit’. I don’t see that here, I don’t see leaders. I just see players making mistakes.

“Then Nicolas Jackson comes in and gets the red card. It just went from bad to worse.”

09:39 PM BST

Mikel: ‘Manager has decision to make with Jackson’

Speaking on Dazn, former Chelsea man John Obi Mikel said: “Nicolas Jackson needs to have a look at himself and think where he wants his Chelsea career to go from here.

“The manager has brought in a striker in Liam Delap, and now if the manager starts to doubt you, if he keeps making mistakes and letting his team-mates and the club down, then it is time for Delap to start the games.

“The manager has a decision to make now.”

09:35 PM BST

Maresca: ‘It was a red card’

Speaking to Dazn Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca said: “We tried to do something different. Flamengo deserved it, congrats to them, that’s it. I think they deserved it.”

Discussing Nicolas Jackson’s red card, he said: “What do I think? It was a red card, nothing to say.”

09:25 PM BST

‘We found little spots that could hurt them’ - Jorginho on beating former team

Flamengo’s former Chelsea midfielder Jorginho, speaking to DAZN: “I think it says it all. For the game and how it was, we played good football and did really well on the pitch. When we had to wait, we waited. When we had to press, we put them in trouble. We worked a lot on how we could hurt them, we believe in what we do and we push all together.”

On the half time message: “We were really confident and we know in these big games the details make the difference. Overall we were really good in the first half so we said, “let’s keep pushing.”

“We pushed in the first half and it worked so we knew we needed to do more in the second half and that is what we did. We found the little spots that could hurt them.”

09:23 PM BST

‘Stupid, stupid, stupid’ - Mikel on Jackson red card

Speaking on Dazn, former Chelsea man John Obi Mikel said: “It was unbelievable from Nicolas Jackson. Stupid, stupid, stupid mistake. I don’t know what was going through his head.

“You come into the game and you are 2-1 down. Your team needs you and you let them down.

“He did it in an important Premier League game at Newcastle when they were fighting for the Champions League places, and he has done it again.”

09:21 PM BST

Chelsea’s seven-minute collapse

Having led 1-0 in the 61st minute, Chelsea found themselves 2-1 down and reduced to 10 men in the 68th minute.

Bruno Henrique scores his team's first goal

Bruno Henrique scores his team’s first goal - Getty Images /Dustin Satloff

Flamengo's Danilo celebrates scoring their second goal

Flamengo’s Danilo celebrates scoring their second goal - Reuters/Lee Smith

Nicolas Jackson of Chelsea is shown a red card

Nicolas Jackson is shown a red card - Getty Images /Carl Recine

09:16 PM BST

Luis ‘proud’ of Flamengo victory

Flamengo boss Filipe Luís talking to Dazn about beating his former club Chelsea: “I’m really happy. We believed that we would have chances and I am really proud. Bruno [Henrique] is special. It doesn’t matter if he plays one minute or 90, he always gives his heart.”

09:12 PM BST

Mikel: ‘Flamengo outplayed Chelsea from the very start”

Speaking on Dazn, former Chelsea man John Obi Mikel said: “Flamengo from the start of the game they were the much better side.

“They controlled the game, played well, with tempo, they were aggressive. They were first to every ball and outplayed Chelsea from the very start.”

09:11 PM BST

Chelsea to face Bayern?

With the runners-up in Group D facing the winners of Group C in the last 16, that defeat means Chelsea will likely face Bayern Munich in the first round of the knockout stages.

09:06 PM BST

What this does to Group D

Chelsea remain on three points in Group D, as Flamengo become the outright leaders on six points after two games.

With Los Angeles FC and Tunis yet to play each other in the second round of fixtures, Chelsea remain in second spot in the group.

Flamengo - played: 2 - points: 6

Chelsea - played: 2 - points: 3

LAFC - played: 1 - points: 0

Tunis - played: 1 - points: 0

09:01 PM BST

Full time: Flamengo 3 Chelsea 1

Chelsea continue to push in the closing stages but no avail as the full-time whistle is blown on a historic victory for Flamengo.

Filipe Luis’ men trailed 1-0 at the break after Pedro Neto’s opener but in the space of four second-half minutes, they turned the tie on its head with quickfire goals from Bruno Henrique and Danilo.

Thinks went from bad to worse for Chelsea as substitute Nicolas Jackson saw a straight red card for a reckless challenge, just four minutes after coming on having been introduced in between Flamengo’s goals.

The Brazilian side were able to seal victory late on, with Wallace Yan scoring a third just one minute after coming on.

08:59 PM BST

90+5 mins: Flamengo 3 Chelsea 1

Madueke manages to win the corner down Chelsea’s right. It’s worked short and they combine nicely to free Gusto into the right of the area but his cross is blocked by the first man.

08:57 PM BST

90+3 mins: Flamengo 3 Chelsea 1

Another couple of changes for Flamengo as Plata and Araujo make way, with Pedro and Michael coming on in their place.

Neto springs a diagonal out to Madueke, who looks to dance into the box. He goes down appealing for a penalty but play is waved on. Correct call.

08:55 PM BST

90+1 mins: Flamengo 3 Chelsea 1

Caicedo wins another free-kick on the edge of the box, a bit closer in this time and further to the right-hand side. Surely Madueke won’t be having this one after his previous effort.

Gusto adjusts the angle for Neto, whose curling effort appears to hit his own man. The deflection takes the ball into the path of Guiu but his effort is turned behind for a corner, which is caught by Rossi.

There will be seven minutes added on.

08:51 PM BST

87 mins: Flamengo 3 Chelsea 1

Caicedo is sliced down on the edge of the box and Chelsea will have the free-kick in a really promising position, about 26 yards out.

It’s so poor from Madueke, though. There is no power on the strike which harmlessly curls over.

08:49 PM BST

GOAL! Wallace Yan adds a third for Flamengo

Flamengo 3 Chelsea 1 (Wallace Yan) Just seconds after coming on, 20-year-old Wallace Yan has surely sealed victory for Flamengo.

The youngster plays a one-two with Plata inside the box to tee up the striker for the shot. The forward’s effort hits the foot of Wallace Yan and lands in his path to tuck home past Sanchez.

Rather fortunate but they will not care.

08:46 PM BST

82 mins: Flamengo 2 Chelsea 1

Some more changes now as Gerson and Wesley make way for Wallace Yan and Varela.

For Chelsea, Palmer and Fernandez are being withdrawn in place of Madueke and Guiu.

08:45 PM BST

81 mins: Flamengo 2 Chelsea 1

A bit of housekeeping. In those six disastrous minutes for Chelsea, Lavia came on for James at the same time that Delap was replaced by Jackson.

Fernandez wins a foul for Chelsea down their right, can they produce a moment of quality? Palmer certainly can, delivering a sublime ball into the box, but Fernandez can only head over.

08:41 PM BST

78 mins: Flamengo 2 Chelsea 1

So much to talk about here in what was six minutes of madness from Chelsea. No-one can deny that Flamengo deserve to be ahead but Chelsea’s defending has been appalling and Nicolas Jackson certainly deserved to be sent off for a horrible over-the-top tackle having just come on.

This is not good for Enzo Maresca either who has got his tactics wrong and not least with playing Reece James in central midfield.

08:41 PM BST

77 mins: Flamengo 2 Chelsea 1

Flamengo have the chance to make it three as Colwill’s weak clearance lands at the feet of Gerson. The winger takes aim from inside the box but his effort is down the throat of Sanchez.

08:39 PM BST

75 mins: Flamengo 2 Chelsea 1

There is a very timely drinks break if you’re a Chelsea fan. Can Maresca restore some calm among his side?

08:36 PM BST

73 mins: Flamengo 2 Chelsea 1

In the space of seven minutes, Chelsea have gone from winning 1-0, to losing 2-1 and being reduced to 10 men. A complete collapse from the Premier League side.

You have to say, that is so poor from Jackson, particularly after his straight red card against Newcastle towards the back end of the Premier League season whjch ruled him out of Chelsea’s crucial and tricky run-in.

08:33 PM BST

RED CARD! Jackson dismissed shortly after coming on

Flamengo 2 Chelsea 1 (Jackson) It goes from bad to worse for Chelsea! Nicholas Jackson, who was brought on by Maresca after Flamengo’s first goal, has seen a straight red card just four minutes later for an awful studs-up challenge down the shin of Lucas.

Not the card of kind he wanted on his 24th birthday...

08:31 PM BST

GOAL! Flamengo take the lead as Chelsea crumble

Flamengo 2 Chelsea 1 (Danilo) Just three and a half minutes after equalising, Flamengo have taken the lead! Chelsea have absolutely crumbled in the last five minutes.

The corner comes in from the right and Bruno Henrique is involved again, heading back across goal. He picks out Danilo who pokes a volley home on the stretch.

There is pure delirium among the Flamengo players and fans.

08:27 PM BST

GOAL! Bruno Henrique equalises for Flamengo

Flamengo 1 Chelsea 1 (Bruno Henrique) Flamengo have their equaliser and you have to say, it had been coming! Gerson picks the ball up on the right and floats a cross towards the back post where Plata is waiting to nod back across goal.

Just moments after coming on, Bruno Henrique arrives to tuck home at the back stick. There are wild celebrations from the Brazilian side.

08:25 PM BST

61 mins: Flamengo 0 Chelsea 1

Another big chance for Flamengo as they work the ball out to Plata in the left of the box. He takes a touch inside, to create the room for a shot but his powerful effort is tipped over by Sanchez.

08:23 PM BST

57 mins: Flamengo 0 Chelsea 1

The first change of the match now as Filipe Luis brings on Henrique for De Arrascaeta, who has been surprisingly quiet.

A long ball forward from Chelsea looks to have freed Delap in on goal. Pereira gets back to make a crucial intervention, but in doing so, he sends the ball just inches wide of the right post. His heart would have been in his mouth for a moment there.

08:20 PM BST

55 mins: Flamengo 0 Chelsea 1

It’s a big chance for Flamengo as James makes a mess of a long ball forward, allowing Gerson to break into the left of the box.

The winger sells Colwill with a dummy, chopping back onto his right foot, but James recovers to get a touch on his strike, taking some of the sting off of it and sending it off target but not out of play.

Plata comes sliding in at the back post and gets on the end of the deflected strike but can’t direct his effort goalbound. A let-off for Maresca’s men.

08:17 PM BST

54 mins: Flamengo 0 Chelsea 1

Flamengo win a corner down their right but it pings behind for a goal-kick following a low-driven delivery towards the near post.

Chelsea put together a nice move to work from back to front but Gusto’s eventual cross looking for Neto at the far post is headed away.

08:15 PM BST

51 mins: Flamengo 0 Chelsea 1

Gusto is brought down by Lucas just to the right of the Flamengo box and this is a really dangerous situation the Brazilian side will have to defend.

James whips a fabulous ball towards the near post and Cucurella has a free header but can’t get enough contact on his effort, which glances well wide of the far post.

08:11 PM BST

47 mins: Flamengo 0 Chelsea 1

Palmer brings Jorginho down, giving away the foul. The Chelsea man chucks the ball back towards the Italian, who is still on the floor, and it hits him on the head.

It was a gentle throw and didn’t appear to be too intentional, but Chelsea’s physical approach to their former player continues.

08:09 PM BST

46 mins: Flamengo 0 Chelsea 1

We are back underway in Philadelphia with Chelsea eventually appearing from the tunnel and kicking things off, going from left to right. There are no changes to report from either side.

Will Maresca’s men hold onto a valuable win or will the Brazilian side get back into it?

08:01 PM BST

Mikel: ‘Neto has been on fire’

Speaking on Dazn, former Chelsea man John Obi Mikel said: “Pedro Neto has been on fire in this tournament. He knows that in the Club World Cup and next season he has to step up.

“Enzo Maresca has told his wingers that he wants them to be the guys to create chances and score goals. It is good to see Neto starting to do that.”

07:58 PM BST

Kleberson:‘Flamengo dominated’

Speaking on Dazn, former Flamengo midfielder Kleberson said: “Flamengo started the game well, they dominated the game, but Pedro Neto is a great player and he had one chance and he was not going to miss that.”

07:54 PM BST

Half-time verdict: Chelsea far from convincing

It has been far from convincing by Chelsea with Enzo Maresca trialling a new formation of 4-1-4-1 and with Reece James in central midfield.

They are in front, gifted a goal with Pedro Neto scoring his second of the tournament. He has down well and Liam Delap has looked a threat but Flamengo will feel they are unlucky to be behind although Enzo Fernandez was left incensed when Chelsea were not awarded a penalty just before half-time.

07:51 PM BST

Half-time: Flamengo 0 Chelsea 1

Liam Delap goes into the book after leaving a late elbow on his man. That was pretty nasty from the new signing.

Flamengo push for a late equaliser in this first half but it comes to nothing and Chelsea take a 1-0 lead into the break.

07:48 PM BST

45 mins: Flamengo 0 Chelsea 1

Chelsea are pushing for a second before the break as Neto is slipped into the right channel. He drills a low ball towards Delap at the near post but Flamengo clear.

Moments later and Fernandez is screaming for a penalty, claiming he was pulled to the ground as he dribbled into the left of the box from the byline.

The referee waves it away but there is going to be a VAR check. The check is over rather quickly – no penalty.

07:45 PM BST

43 mins: Flamengo 0 Chelsea 1

Cucurella goes in strongly on Wesley and, perhaps unfairly, is penalised, so it’s a free-kick in a promising position for Flamengo, just to the right of the box.

It’s a sensational cross to the back post which finds Gerson, who volleys the ball into the ground and towards goal, but Colwill is there to head clear off the line at the back post.

07:40 PM BST

40 mins: Flamengo 0 Chelsea 1

Danilo completely misjudges his header allowing Neto to break free down Chelsea’s left but with a lack of options, he slows it down and turns back.

The ball is worked out to Palmer on the right and he wins the free-kick, drawing the foul from Jorginho. Chelsea work the set-piece short to Palmer but his cross into the box is headed away.

07:36 PM BST

35 mins: Flamengo 0 Chelsea 1

Cole Palmer has been incredibly quiet in this opening period, I can’t recall anything he has done. Surely Maresca will be thinking about how he can get his talisman in the game.

07:32 PM BST

31 mins: Flamengo 0 Chelsea 1

Half an hour into this opening period and it’s time for the first drinks break of the match. Maresca will be hoping he can get some messages across to his Chelsea team, who have been largely second best.

07:31 PM BST

30 mins: Flamengo 0 Chelsea 1

Chelsea are ahead, with a goal gifted to them – and well-taken by Pedro Neto – by Flamengo but the Brazilian side are on top.

Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez is struggling with the new eight-second rule, for how long he can retain possession, and has basically just thrown the ball at Trevoh Chalobah’s feet fearing he would be timed out and concede a corner.

07:30 PM BST

29 mins: Flamengo 0 Chelsea 1

Gusto has space in Flamengo’s half and he lets fly from about 30 yards out. Rossi makes a bit of a meal of the effort, which is straight at him, but manages to eventually gather it.

Delap and Neto both do fabulously to hold the ball up and drive Chelsea up the pitch. Eventually the Englishman wins the throw-in high up down Chelsea’s left.

07:27 PM BST

27 mins: Flamengo 0 Chelsea 1

Wesley breaks down Flamengo’s right once again and his cross into the box is headed behind for another corner by the retreating James.

Sanchez comes and claims the set piece confidently, though. The Chelsea keeper goes very close to giving up another corner with how long he is taking to release the ball but he rolls it away in the nick of time.

07:25 PM BST

24 mins: Flamengo 0 Chelsea 1

Wesley plays a tidy one-two to evade Neto and he is brought down by the sliding winger as he looked to burst into the right of the box. Chelsea’s goalscorer goes into the book.

Araujo looks to catch Chelsea out with a low strike towards the near post but Cucurella swipes it behind for a corner, which Chelsea deal with.

07:24 PM BST

22 mins: Flamengo 0 Chelsea 1

There are warnings at all Club World Cup matches that fans can only bring in small flags that must fit into the dimensions demanded by Fifa or they will be confiscated. Clearly the Flamengo fans have ignored that one although they can apply for special permission.

Flamengo fans in Philadelphia

07:20 PM BST

19 mins: Flamengo 0 Chelsea 1

Chelsea continue with their physical approach after taking the lead, with James going in strongly on his former team-mate Jorginho and Fernandez taking a wild swipe in a challenge with Gerson.

You sense they were expecting a physical game and have made a conscious effort to impose themselves.

07:17 PM BST

GOAL! Neto gives Chelsea the lead

Flamengo 0 Chelsea 1 (Neto) After Chelsea clear Flamengo’s set piece, Neto gets quite fortunate as the ball ricochets between himself and a defender on halfway and into his path.

But he then shows great pace and composure as he drives into the box before slotting home past Rossi. That’s two goals in two games for the winger.

07:14 PM BST

13 mins: Flamengo 0 Chelsea 0

A wonderful sweeping ball around the corner feeds Gerson into the right channel but his low ball across the six-yard box is gathered by Sanchez.

The game then boils for a moment over as Jorginho is chopped to the ground by Caicedo, who then stands over the former Chelsea man, screaming in his ear as he stays on the ground. Caicedo goes into the book, probably more for his reaction than the foul itself.

Chelsea's Moises Caicedo is shown a yellow card

Chelsea’s Moises Caicedo is shown a yellow card - Reuters /Kyle Ross

07:11 PM BST

11 mins: Flamengo 0 Chelsea 0

After a frantic start to the game, things begin to settle down as Chelsea knock the ball around their defence.

There are a fair few balloons floating about the pitch. I wonder if we will have ourselves a Darren Bent beach ball moment.

07:09 PM BST

8 mins: Flamengo 0 Chelsea 0

It is an interesting line-up and formation chosen by Enzo Maresca – with Reece James used as a holding midfielder alongside Moises Caicedo and with Enzo Fernandez just ahead of them on the left. It may even be a 4-4-2 with Pedro Neto alongside Liam Delap and Cole Palmer a little deeper.

07:08 PM BST

6 mins: Flamengo 0 Chelsea 0

Chelsea then produce a chance of their own as Fernandez slips Delap into the right of the box. The forward gets the ball out of his feet and looks to power home into the roof of the net but Rossi can parry away for a corner.

07:07 PM BST

5 mins: Flamengo 0 Chelsea 0

There is an early opportunity for Flamengo to hurt Chelsea after Sanchez’s poor pass can only find an opposition player, but Araujo’s through-ball for Plata is clumsy and runs through to the goalkeeper.

Sanchez makes an identical mistake moments later but de Arrascaeta can only poke an effort over the bar from the edge of the box. It’s been a really sloppy start from Maresca’s men.

07:03 PM BST

2 mins: Flamengo 0 Chelsea 0

There have been a couple of strong challenges from Chelsea in the opening stages, with Colwill leaving Gerson in a heap on the floor after stamping on his toe.

The Brazilian side aren’t too happy with Chelsea’s robustness early on.

07:01 PM BST

1 min: Flamengo 0 Chelsea 0

We are underway in Philadelphia with Flamengo kicking things off going from left to right.

06:57 PM BST

Flamengo fans in full voice

Based on the reception the respective sides are getting as they walk out, it certainly feels like there is more support for the Brazilian outfit. Will that make the difference this evening?

06:55 PM BST

Kick-off on its way

We are just five minutes away from kick-off in Philadelphia. A reminder that both sides won their opening game 2-0 so there is nothing to split them heading into this evening.

The player walk-outs are underway at the Lincoln Financial Field. It’s Flamengo up first.

06:52 PM BST

The scene in Philadelphia

Chelsea's Cole Palmer

Chelsea’s Cole Palmer - Getty Images/Carl Recine

A Chelsea fan outside the stadium before the match

A Chelsea fan outside the stadium before the match - Reuters /Kyle Ross

Flamengo fans outside the stadium

Flamengo fans outside the stadium - Reuters /Kyle Ross

06:49 PM BST

Chelsea looking to avoid Bayern

A win against Flamengo will secure Chelsea’s place in the last-16 and also a far more desirable draw. If they top the group they will face the runners-up in Group D – probably either Boca Juniors, whose fans are also out in force like Flamengo’s, or Benfica in Miami on June 29.

If they are second then it will probably be Bayern Munich in Charlotte the day before – which may well spell the end of their involvement in this tournament.

06:47 PM BST

The Chelsea connections powering Flamengo at Club World Cup

Former Chelsea midfielder Jorginho arrived at Flamengo following his departure from Arsenal this summer, with sporting director José Boto responsible for this evening’s reunion.

“The signing of Jorginho was not because of the tournament,” Boto said. “If we could have found a way to sign him before the Club World Cup, that was perfect. And we did. But it was not the main goal.

“What he can bring to us is like Danilo from Juventus and Alex Sandro from Juventus – another vision of football, of how to face training and the games with the European mentality they can bring to our club. He is the perfect midfielder for our model.”

Read Telegraph Sport’s full interview with Boto here.

06:43 PM BST

‘Shooutout for top spot’, says Mikel

Speaking on Dazn, former Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel has said: “This is a shootout to see who goes top of the group.

“Chelsea have to approach the game with the mindset to go out, play well and hopefully they can get another win tonight.”

06:39 PM BST

Matheus Cunha on the bench...

Following on from Jason’s previous picture, perhaps the fans in the Manchester United tops are here to see Matheus Cunha.

Unfortunately for them, this one is Flamengo’s substitute goalkeeper and not Ruben Amorim’s new £62.5m signing.

06:36 PM BST

Lavia suggests player walk-ons for Premier League

Individual player walk-ons have been a talking-point of the competition so far.

Following Chelsea’s first match, Romeo Lavia said: “I think it’s something special and new for us. It’s a first for us. I enjoyed it. Why not bring it to the Premier League?”

He added: “I mean, it’s a bit of a showbiz thing, isn’t it? I quite like it. The only difference is [if we did it in the Premier League], we might get a bit cold because once you’re out there, you have to wait for maybe the other players.

“But apart from that, it was good. I guess we always learn new things from international tournaments and that’s what makes it special.”

Tosin Adarabioyo added : “It’s something new. We buy into it. We’ve not done it before so it’s a new experience for us all.”

Romeo Lavia of Chelsea walks out of the tunnel

Romeo Lavia of Chelsea walks out of the tunnel - Getty Images /Darren Walsh

06:32 PM BST

‘Cole is our best player’ - Maresca wants more of the same from Palmer

Speaking after Chelsea’s victory over LAFC, manager Enzo Maresca said he hopes Cole Palmer will continue to show initiative in his play.

“I had a short conversation with Cole, and I said to him that I really like the way he was today,” Maresca said.

“He took responsibility, showed initiative on the ball. He was trying to receive the ball, go one-versus-one against players, and this is the Cole we expect.”

Maresca added: “After the Conference League final, Cole said he was bored when receiving the ball, so he decided to do something different. The day after that interview, I said to him that he could do it from the first minute and why did he wait so long? Why not do the same after one minute?

“Today he was doing exactly that, and we are happy when he does that. I’ve said many times Cole is our best player, a top player, and hopefully he can continue to do the right things.”

Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca (left) and Cole Palmer

Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca (left) and Cole Palmer - PA/Zac Goodwin

06:28 PM BST

Interesting shirt choices in Philadelphia

The fans are taking their seats ahead of Flamengo against Chelsea... including two Americans wearing Manchester United shirts. Neither Bruno Fernandes nor Casemiro are here, of course, although Fifa may have wished United had qualified as it may have given them a greater chance of filling out these stadiums.

But it feels like a long time before they will back on this stage – although maybe that is why Fifa are considering expanding it even further 32 teams to 48.

Fans arriving at Lincoln Financial Field ahead of kick-off

06:23 PM BST

Chelsea meet familiar faces

There a couple of familiar faces in the opposition changing room for Chelsea this evening with former defender Filipe Luis managing Flamengo and former midfielder Jorginho in from the start.

Luis spent one season at Chelsea in the 2014/15 campaign, in which the West London side won the Premier League and the League Cup.

Jorginho spent four and a half seasons at Stamford Bridge, winning the Europa League and Champions League during his spell there.

Filipe Luis, Head Coach of CR Flamengo

Filipe Luis, Head Coach of Flamengo - Getty Images/David Ramos

06:16 PM BST

Those line-ups in full

Flamengo: Rossi; Wesley, Danilo, Pereira, Lucas; Pulgar, Jorginho; Gerson, de Arrascaeta, Aruajo; Plata.

Subs: Cunha, Michael, Araujo, Varela, Goncalves, Henrique, Pedro, Allan, Everton, Juninho, Vina, Ortiz, Wallace Yan, Victor, Alex Sandro.

Chelsea: Sanchez; James, Chalobah, Colwill, Cucurella; Fernandez, Caicedo; Gusto, Palmer, Neto; Delap.

Subs: Acheampong, Anselmino, Badiashile, Tosin, Jackson, Dewsbury-Hall, Lavia, George, Guiu, Madueke, Jorgensen, Essugo, Santos, Nkunku, Sarr.

06:11 PM BST

Three changes for Flamengo

Filipe Luis has made three changes to his Flamengo side from their victory over ES Tunis as Wesley, Danilo and Plata come in for Varela, Ortiz and Pedro. Jorginho starts against his former side.

06:05 PM BST

Maresca makes four changes as Delap starts

There are four changes to the Chelsea team which started in the 2-0 victory over Los Angeles FC, as Enzo Maresca brings in Chalobah, Fernandez, Gusto and Delap in place of Tosin, Lavia, Madueke and Jackson.

06:00 PM BST

Preview: Chelsea hope to extend winning start against familiar faces

Good evening and welcome to live coverage of Flamengo vs Chelsea from the Fifa Club World Cup, as Enzo Maresca’s side look to make it two wins from two in the United States. Chelsea kicked off their tournament with a 2-0 victory over Los Angeles FC on Tuesday, with goals from Pedro Neto and Enzo Fernandez.

Fernandez’s second-half strike was set up by fellow substitute Liam Delap, making his debut for the west London side following his £30m transfer from Ipswich Town earlier this month. The victory was Chelsea’s eighth in nine games, having finished the regular season in strong form, finishing fourth in the Premier League and winning the Uefa Conference League.

Chelsea’s winning start in Group D of the revamped and newly expanded tournament was somewhat overshadowed by the empty seats in Atlanta, with the official attendance announced as 22,137 despite Mercedes-Benz Stadium being capable of holding over 70,000.

Their opponents this evening also started their Club World Cup campaign with a 2-0 victory, getting the better of Tunisian outfit ES Tunis, meaning the sides are level at the top of Group D heading into their second match of the tournament.

Flamengo, managed by former Chelsea defender Filipe Luis and containing their former midfielder Jorginho following his recent departure from Arsenal, are currently top of the Brazilian Serie A. They have won their opening 11 games, leaving them top of the pile on goal difference, with the Brazilian campaign having started in March and finishing in December.

There is plenty of incentive for victory for the two teams this evening, with a second-placed finish in the group likely setting up a last 16 clash with Bayern Munich.

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