Liam Delap netted his first goal for Chelsea as the Premier League side sealed a 3-0 victory over Tunisian champions Esperance on Tuesday, securing their place in the last 16 of the Club World Cup.
In sweltering conditions at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Chelsea struck twice in first-half stoppage time through Tosin Adarabioyo and Delap to take control of the match. Substitute Tyrique George added a late third to round off the win in front of 32,937 spectators.
The result saw Enzo Maresca’s men finish second in Group D behind Flamengo, who had beaten Chelsea 3-1 in their previous outing. Esperance, meanwhile, bowed out of the competition.
Delap’s goal came in his third appearance for the Blues, and manager Maresca praised the young forward’s instincts. “Against Flamengo, he had three clear chances, so that means he is there, in the right position,” Maresca said. “We know Liam is going to score goals with us—we don’t have any doubts.”
Chelsea now travel to Charlotte for a high-stakes last-16 clash with Benfica on Saturday. The Portuguese side topped Group C after a victory over Bayern Munich. The fixture will mark the first meeting between the two clubs since the 2013 UEFA Europa League final, which Chelsea won.
“Benfica is a top club with a top manager and top players. It’s going to be tough, but our target now is to make the last eight,” Maresca added.
Despite needing only a draw to progress, Maresca made eight changes to the starting XI, citing the punishing heatwave in Philadelphia as a major factor. “It’s impossible not to rotate players in these conditions,” he explained. “From 32 clubs, we are now among the last 16—teams like Atletico Madrid are already out—so we should be proud.”
Among the new faces was Josh Acheampong, who made his 10th start of the season and came close to scoring in the first half with a low shot that was well saved by goalkeeper Bechir Ben Said.
Chelsea controlled possession and tempo, but the breakthrough came late in the first half when Enzo Fernandez’s free-kick was nodded in by Adarabioyo. Just two minutes later, Fernandez turned provider again, this time setting up Delap, who turned smartly in the box and fired a low finish past Ben Said.
The match was played in humid conditions, with temperatures still hovering near 30°C (86°F) late into the evening. Maresca introduced Mamadou Sarr and Andrey Santos—both making their first Chelsea appearances since joining from Strasbourg.
Chelsea were denied a penalty in the second half after VAR overturned a handball decision against Esperance defender Yassine Meriah. However, the Blues capped off their night in stoppage time when Tyrique George added a third goal, beating Ben Said with a strike the goalkeeper could have handled better.
Despite the defeat, Esperance coach Maher Kanzari expressed pride in his team’s performance: “We came up against a team from the very highest level and were dominated, but we didn’t disgrace ourselves.”