Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca described the 113-minute delay that almost cost his team a place in the Club World Cup quarter-finals as "a joke".
The Blues had dominated and held a 1-0 lead heading into the 86th minute courtesy of a sublime Reece James free kick.
However, the threat of lightning in the surrounding areas of Charlotte led to the teams being hauled off for, at the time, an unspecified amount of time.
If there was lightning within an eight-to-10 mile radius, the time off the pitch would be extended, and nearly two hours passed by before the game in North Carolina resumed.
After Malo Gusto was harshly adjudged to have handled the ball into the penalty area, Angel Di Maria equalised with a 95th-minute penalty.
Gianluca Prestianni's sending off soon after the start of extra time swung the game back in Chelsea's favour, Christopher Nkunku, Pedro Neto and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall all netting in the second period to seal a 4-1 victory.
Chelsea's Reece James celebrates scoring with Enzo Fernandez and Levi Colwill on June 28, 2025
"This is not football"
Speaking after the game, Maresca was incensed with the protocol that needed to be followed, questioning its place in football despite it being a common occurrence in the United States.
The Italian said, as quoted by BBC Sport: "For 85 minutes we were in control of the game. We didn't concede anything; we created chances enough to win the game. And then after the break the game changed completely," Maresca said while referring to a shift in momentum in which Angel di Maria equalised from the penalty spot.
"For me personally, it's not football. You cannot be inside for two hours. It is something completely new. I can understand that for security reasons, you are to suspend the game. But if you suspend six, seven games that means that probably is not the right place to do this competition."
Having described the situation as "a joke", he added: "This is a fantastic competition. The Club World Cup is top; we are happy to be in the last eight.
"It's not normal to suspend a game. In a World Cup, how many games are suspended? Probably zero. In Europe, how many games? Zero."
Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca pictured on June 28, 2025
What now for Chelsea?
Next up is a showdown with Palmeiras, who were also taken to extra time by Botafogo before prevailing by a 1-0 scoreline.
That game is due to take place in the early hours of Saturday morning (2am, BST), giving both clubs a well-deserved rest before that encounter.
Chelsea will be without two players for that contest, Moises Caicedo serving a one-match ban for accumulating two yellow cards and Benoit Badiashile who came off injured during the second half against Benfica.
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