Flamengo stun Chelsea in another big Club World Cup upset

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The 2025 FIFA Club World Cup is off and running and has produced plenty of talking points and storylines already. Let’s catch you up on what’s happening, what you’ve missed and what’s still to come.

We will update this file throughout each matchday with the latest reporting, analysis and fun from the competition, so check back regularly for the latest news as we follow the fun leading up to the tournament final at MetLife Stadium on July 13.

The lead: Chelsea flattened by Flamengo in Friday shock

PHILADELPHIA — It took only six minutes for Chelsea’s Club World Cup campaign to be thrown into serious jeopardy on Friday.

While leading Flamengo 1-0 in the Philadelphia early-afternoon heat, the Blues were closing in on becoming the first team to book their place in the round of 16. Plans included an extended training camp in Miami as they honed their preparations for a sustained assault on the competition’s latter stages and the £97 million first prize that would be a welcome boost to Chelsea’s balance sheet.

And then, just after the hour mark, everything changed. The lead given to them by Pedro Neto’s well-taken 13th-minute strike evaporated as Bruno Henrique and then Danilo converted from close range to turn the game on its head, before Nicolas Jackson got himself sent off for an idiotic challenge on Ayrton Lucas. Wallace Yan added a late third to give Flamengo a win they thoroughly deserved both on and off the pitch, as a combative and dynamic display was mirrored by the passion and fury of thousands clad in red and black stripes predominantly gathered behind the end that brought them such second-half joy.

This was a performance that raises multiple questions about Chelsea and head coach Enzo Maresca. He started with Reece James in midfield and Cole Palmer stationed on the right flank. There was an irony to Palmer speaking about coveting his new No.10 shirt yesterday, only for Maresca to then ask the 23-year-old to vacate the corresponding central position where he is most effective.

It contributed to a disjointed display in which Palmer struggled to impose himself, amassing just 15 touches and three completed passes in the first half. Palmer ended up with 32 touches and the ignominy of an 82nd-minute substitution when Chelsea were down to 10 men and chasing the game.

“We tried to do something different in the game, for next season and the future,” Maresca said following the defeat. “Now we have one more game, we will try to win.”

But Jackson will draw more of the criticism. He was on the field for just four minutes as a second-half sub and touched the ball only once when lunging in late right in front of Salvadorian referee Iván Arcides Barton Cisneros. Jackson was sent off at Newcastle in early May in a similarly foolish act that threatened to derail their hopes of Champions League qualification. Chelsea survived without him to hit their target back then, but Liam Delap will be taking centre stage against Esperance Sportive de Tunis back at Lincoln Financial Field on Wednesday to ensure the Blues’ safe passage from Group D.

It would be speculative to look too far ahead, but the probability that Chelsea won’t top the group is now very real and, all things being equal, they could face Bayern Munich in the last-16. Such a game would represent a major early test of the team’s credentials to win a competition the club’s owners view as particularly important, not least because of the cash on offer.

On this evidence, however, Chelsea don’t look up to it. Like other managers coming to the U.S. at the end of a long season, Maresca has spoken of the need to rotate and balance trying to win with managing minutes and preparing for the 2025-26 campaign. It is a difficult balancing act, but one he must do better with. This was a wake-up call, an introduction to the tournament proper with the majority of 54,019 fans against them backing a spirited team who looked hungrier and more motivated.

There is time for that to change, of course, but things just got significantly harder for Chelsea. — James Olley

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Flamengo’s big-game experience shows vs. Chelsea

PHILADELPHIA — Chelsea were warned prematch that this was going to be “like an away game” not so much because of the numbers in the stands at Lincoln Financial Field, which were relatively even, but because of the noise and support generated by the Mengao faithful. And the Flamengo fans got to see their team out-football and outsmart their pedigreed European opposition.

On paper, a trio of Giorgian de Arrascaeta, Jorginho and Erick Pulgar — for all their creativity and technical ability — should struggle against the dynamism and athleticism of Chelsea, all the more so with Maresca exiling Cole Palmer wide and bringing back Enzo Fernández. But experience and intelligence can make up for a lot, and this was the case even as Flamengo went into the break a goal down.

On the balance of play, even in the first half, Filipe Luis’ side didn’t feel inferior, they just conceded to an individual error. And after the break, they drove that point home.

Replacing de Arrascaeta with Bruno Henrique was a big call, and one that was vindicated with a goal and an assist within minutes of the restart. Nico Jackson’s moment of foolishness did the rest, but truth be told, Flamengo looked like the more grown-up team even in the first half, when three Chelsea players went into the book while another, Marc Cucurella, could have too.

Really, it shouldn’t be surprising that Flamengo are the grown-ups here. Chelsea are a very young side; Flamengo are packed with experience and a familiarity with the big stage. Except for fullback Wesley, the entire starting XI have experience playing abroad, mostly in Europe. Jorginho and Danilo formerly captained clubs such as Chelsea and Juventus. Gerson played for Roma and Marseille, Pulgar for Fiorentina and Galatasaray.

There’s a big-game ethos in this Flamengo side, which matches a club that considers itself the biggest in Brazil and that sits top of the table in Group D. I mean, this is the club of Zico and Leonardo, the one that plays their home games at the freaking Maracana. And no, they weren’t going to be intimidated by going a goal down against Chelsea — certainly not the ugly, pokey version of the Blues that was on display at the Linc. — Gab Marcotti

Boca Juniors and their fans brought the party with them

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — “Edi! Edi! A photo, please! Edi!”

Edinson Cavani smiles patiently, and poses for one last photo. The Boca Juniors forward, 38, has taken plenty already this week, and one more won’t hurt. Each night at Boca’s team hotel in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, it’s the same scene as fans gather outside, singing, chanting, playing music in hopes of meeting their heroes.

Everywhere you go in Fort Lauderdale — by the beach, at the mall — you see Boca shirts. Some fans are even staying at the team hotel, increasing the odds of a chance encounter. There’s midfielder Ander Herrera, dressed in his training gear, walking through the lobby. At night, Juan Román Riquelme — Boca legend, iconic No. 10, and now the club’s president — takes a walk along the city’s New River, flanked by two members of staff. Some fans bring shirts or balls to be signed. Another walks into the lobby holding a model of Boca’s La Bombonera stadium.

Boca aren’t the only team staying here in Fort Lauderdale. Driving down the Beach Boulevard, local police stop traffic. Is it an accident? No, it’s Borussia Dortmund’s branded team bus, heading to that morning’s training session accompanied by a police escort. Two fans in Dortmund shirts see the bus and sprint off the beach, hoping to catch a glimpse of the players.

Back at Boca’s hotel on Las Olas Boulevard, Cavani finally walks inside through a private entrance as a security guard waves away the remaining fans. Two of them, hotel guests, head into the lobby and call an elevator, clutching a newly signed shirt. On the way up, it stops on the eighth floor, home to the hotel’s gym. The elevator doors open — and there’s Cavani walking past again, looking surprised.

“Edi! A photo!” they shout. “You’ve had one already!” he laughs, as the doors close. Still, there’s always tomorrow. — Alex Kirkland

Match previews, odds for Friday

Mamelodi Sundowns vs. Borussia Dortmund (Group F; Cincinnati, OH, Noon ET)

Odds (via ESPN BET): Mamelodi Sundowns (+600), Draw (+400), Borussia Dortmund (-260)

You’d expect Dortmund to win this at a canter given their pedigree on paper, but the heat and humidity is a major equalizer when it comes to what happens on the field at this competition, and Mamelodi Sundowns’ industry and effort have them topping Group F heading into Saturday’s lunchtime clash. Dortmund will need to show more creativity and passion if they’re to extend their Club World Cup participation, having barely mustered 0.24 xG in their opening game 0-0 against Fluminense. Keeper Gregor Kobel was their standout against the Brazilian side, but the likes of Serhou Guirassy (a game-low 27 touches in 90 minutes) and Julian Brandt (one shot off target and just 27 completed passes in 77 minutes) need to step up.

For Sundowns, they’ll fear no team in this tournament having clogged the midfield and defended well in numbers against Ulsan HD in their 1-0 win. They’ll be hoping forward Iqraam Rayners can find the net again, too. — Tyler

Inter Milan vs. Urawa RD (Group E; Seattle, WA, 3 p.m. ET)

Odds: Inter Milan (-550), Draw (+550), Urawa RD (+1000)

It’s not often you get to see brothers competing for the same place in the team, but that’s where Inter are heading into the clash with Urawa Red Diamonds. With Marcus Thuram banged up and Mehdi Taremi stuck in Tehran, Sebastiano Esposito (who started in the opener against Monterrey) will compete with his brother, Pio, for a place alongside Lautaro Martínez in Inter’s starting XI.

Sebastiano, who is 22, was on loan at Empoli last season, scoring nine goals. Francesco “Pio,” on the other hand, is just 19 and was on loan in Serie B, at Spezia, where he scored 17 goals in leading them to the playoffs. Both are very much central strikers, and both are Italy Under 21 internationals. (In case you’re wondering, there’s a third Esposito brother, Salvatore, but he’s 24 and a midfielder and no longer plays for Inter.) — Marcotti

Fluminense vs. Ulsan HD (Group F; East Rutherford, NJ, 6 p.m. ET)

Odds: Fluminense (-270), Draw (+400), Ulsan HD (+700)

Fluminense’s work rate was a constant problem for Dortmund in their opener and they will feel unlucky not to have taken all three points, with Kobel’s double-save in the second half summing up such frustrations. Yet there is a clear path to the round of 16 ahead if they can hold their nerve and show more composure in front of net: just five shots on frame out of 14 total is an insufficient return in tournament play.

For Ulsan, veteran midfielders Seung-Beom Ko and Woo-Young Jung were impressive in game one, but difference-maker Erick Farias needs to live up to that tag in the final third. — Tyler

River Plate vs. Monterrey (Group E; Pasadena, CA, 9 p.m. ET)

Odds: River Plate (+105), Draw (+240), Monterrey (+250)

Monterrey enter the second group stage match against River Plate after a shocking 1-1 draw against Inter Milan with a goal from none other than Sergio Ramos. Now, the Liga MX giants will need Ramos to be sharp on set pieces while attacking duo Lucas Ocampos and German Berterame shine in the final third to keep alive any hopes of qualifying to the knockout round.

Given results so far in Group E, the result between Monterrey and River Plate could define the two participants that move on to the next stage of the Club World Cup. The Argentine team is top after beating Urawa RD 3-1: Goals from Maximiliano Meza, Sebastian Driussi and Facundo Colidio gave River Plate a comfortable edge when it comes to advancing, but the team cannot afford to rely on one good result to get the job done. — Becherano





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