- Chelsea secured a comfortable 2-0 victory over LA FC in their Group D opener
- Goals came from Pedro Neto and Enzo Fernandez, with new signing Liam Delap providing an assist
- Despite big names like Giroud and Lloris, LA FC failed to threaten Chelsea’s dominance
Key Takeaways:
Chelsea began their FIFA Club World Cup campaign with a deserved 2-0 win over LA FC in the group stage of the tournament. The London side controlled the match and scored once in each half to seal the three points.
Pedro Neto and Enzo Fernandez were the scorers for Enzo Maresca’s team in the Group D encounter, which also includes Flamengo and Esperance Tunis. Liam Delap, a £30 million summer signing, assisted the second goal, marking an impactful debut. LA FC’s lineup featured veterans like Olivier Giroud and Hugo Lloris, but the American side was unable to match Chelsea’s level.
Olivier Giroud with Cole Palmer after Chelsea vs. LAFC.
A past Blue sharing a moment with a current one 💙 pic.twitter.com/uxONOXKI9q
— ESPN UK (@ESPNUK) June 16, 2025
The match took place at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium, where just over 22,000 spectators were in attendance despite the venue’s 71,000 capacity. Chelsea nearly broke the deadlock in the 17th minute when Noni Madueke latched onto a precise pass, dribbled through the defence, and fired a strong shot that was parried by Lloris. The breakthrough came in the 34th minute. Nicolas Jackson played an elegant pass from midfield to Pedro Neto, who showed individual brilliance by advancing and slotting the ball into the bottom right corner.
LA FC came close to conceding again in the 53rd minute when Neto found space near the penalty spot and headed the ball goalward, only to see a defender block the effort before it could trouble the keeper. Four minutes later, Denis Bouanga had LA FC’s best chance. He controlled a cross inside the box and aimed for the bottom left corner, but Robert Sanchez made the save to preserve Chelsea’s lead. The pressure paid off in the 80th minute when Delap delivered a precise cross into the box, and Enzo Fernandez converted to make it 2-0.
Chelsea now travel to Philadelphia for their next Group D match against Flamengo on June 20. With the win, Enzo Maresca’s side moved to the top of the group and reinforced their status as favourites to advance to the knock-out stage.