Enzo Maresca’s side looked to be heading through in straightforward fashion at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte after captain Reece James’ excellent second-half free-kick, only to see the final four minutes of the match postponed after a severe weather delay lasting for almost two hours.
Angel Di Maria’s last-gasp penalty made matters worse for Chelsea when the match finally resumed and they were taken to extra time, where goals from Christopher Nkunku, Pedro Neto and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall saw them eventually run out 4-1 winners in a match that took nearly five hours to complete.
A heatwave in Philadelphia led to Maresca complaining that it was “impossible” to train properly, though Chelsea will at least be boosted by the arrival of Brazilian forward Joao Pedro, who is flying out to the US in order to undergo a medical and sign a seven-year contract to complete a £60million transfer from Brighton.
Can Estevao Willian play against Chelsea at Club World Cup?
While Pedro could yet play a role for Chelsea at the Club World Cup alongside previous new arrivals Liam Delap, Dario Essugo and Mamadou Sarr, fellow prospective signing Jamie Gittens would not be permitted to do so having already played in the competition for Borussia Dortmund.
It’s a different situation altogether for Estevao Willian, whom Chelsea agreed to sign from Palmeiras for an initial £29m fee that could rise above £50m with add-ons.
The deal was first agreed in May 2024 for the teenage sensation to arrive at Stamford Bridge this summer following a final season in Brazil, where the likes of Neymar have hailed him as a future superstar and new Selecao boss Carlo Ancelotti labelled him as a “special talent”.
Estevao has been a leading light for Brazilian giants Palmeiras at the Club World Cup so far
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Chelsea later agreed for Estevao to remain at Palmeiras for the Club World Cup, where he delivered man-of-the-match displays in opening games against Porto and Al Ahly, also impressing against Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami as Abel Ferreira’s side finished top of Group A on goal difference, avoiding Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain as they instead teed up a last-16 tie against domestic rivals Botafogo.
Estevao – who has earned flattering comparisons to Messi – played another key role in that fixture on Saturday as Palmeiras won 1-0 courtesy of Paulinho’s extra-time effort to become the first team into the quarters, despite the dismissal of Gustavo Gomez.
Chelsea fans have been wondering since the knockout draw was confirmed if Estevao would be eligible to feature against the club he will join after the tournament, and the answer is that yes, he is.
There is understood to be no agreement with Palmeiras or anything included in FIFA’s Club World Cup regulations that would prevent him from playing in Philadelphia on Friday night, leaving Estevao in the unusual position of trying to contribute to the downfall of the progress of the club he will join in July, if he’s picked to play.
“It’s really hard [to focus],” Estevao told TNT Sports Brazil last week before the quarter-final tie was confirmed. “[Going to Chelsea] is a dream coming true but knowing that I need to focus here first. It’s not easy.
“You have to maintain your focus here. And the closer it gets, the anxiety starts to hit, the butterflies in the stomach start to hit.
“But I’m trying to focus as much as possible here, to leave everything I can on the pitch, to leave here well, with my head held high, through the front door, knowing that I did my best here.”
