Palmer Goal Gives Chelsea Edge Over Palmeiras

Blues seek spot in Club World Cup semi-final.

**Cole Palmer’s** early goal has given **Chelsea** a 1-0 lead over **Palmeiras** in their Club World Cup quarter-final match in Philadelphia. The winner will face Fluminense in the semi-final. Can the London club secure a victory despite off-field distractions?

Gooooal! Chelsea Takes the Lead

A simple, yet effective play saw **Palmer** receive a pass, wrong-foot a defender, and slot the ball into the net from the edge of the penalty area, giving **Chelsea** a 1-0 lead in the 16th minute.

Match Developments

In the 34th minute, **Palmer** fought off multiple defenders, tapping the ball to **Nkunku**, whose shot went high.

Another corner for **Chelsea** came in the 33rd minute as **Palmer** whipped in a dangerous cross. Besides the goal, it has been a superb game for **Palmer** so far.

Tensions rose in the 30th minute as **Fuchs** gestured angrily toward **Delap** after the **Chelsea** player barged into **Allan**. It seems **Delap** is not making many friends in this match.

Around the 29th minute, **Chelsea’s** possession hovered around 70%, reflecting their dominance in the game.

**Palmeiras’** goalkeeper, **Weverton**, received attention from trainers, leading to a brief break in the 27th minute.

In the 24th minute, **Chelsea** regained possession, and **Neto** beat several defenders on the right flank, though his cross missed teammates.

A defective game ball was noted around the 21st minute, something that has occurred before in the tournament.

Around the 20th minute, **Chelsea** had two shots in quick succession. **Cucurella** took a shot from outside the area, and **Enzo Fernandez** shot from 20 yards, but both were handled by **Weverton**.

A corner was awarded to **Chelsea** in the 18th minute after **Palmeiras** struggled with a cross from **Palmer**.

In the 14th minute, tempers flared between **Liam Delap** and **Augustin Giay**, resulting in a minor scuffle.

Following a free kick in the 11th minute, **Chelsea** maintained possession, with **Gusto** crossing to **Enzo Fernandez**, who shot wide under pressure.

**Chelsea** had another promising possession in the 10th minute, but **Estêvão** won a corner against **Cucurella**.

At the 7-minute mark, **Vitor Roque** carried the ball into **Chelsea’s** half, but **Cucurella** won a 50-50 ball against **Allan**.

In the 5th minute, **Cole Palmer** drilled a shot that forced **Weverton** to punch it out for a corner.

**Pedro Neto** made a surging run in the penalty area in the 3rd minute.

In the opening minute, **Palmeiras** quickly won a corner.

Pre-Match Events

Before the game, a moment of silence honored **Diogo Jota** and **Andre Silva**.

A late change saw **Reece James** ruled out with injury, replaced by **Andrey Santos**.

Background

**Chelsea** is playing amid distractions, including a “hefty fine from Uefa” and the “tragic death of **Liverpool’s Diogo Jota**.” According to recent data, such off-field issues can negatively impact team performance by up to 15% (Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 2023).

This quarter-final marks a rematch of the 2021 final, where **Chelsea** secured a 2-1 victory in extra time. This year, however, the squad looks very different.

One side of the Club World Cup semi-finals will be an all-European affair. The question is, will the other side be an all-Brazilian clash?

**Fluminense** have already secured their spot in the semi-finals after defeating **Al-Hilal**. Can **Palmeiras** join them to set up a showdown between Rio and São Paulo, or will **Chelsea** spoil the party?

Starting Lineups

Chelsea’s lineup: **Robert Sanchez**, **Marc Cucurella**, **Levi Colwill**, **Trevoh Chalobah**, **Malo Gusto**, **Enzo Fernandez**, **Andrey Santos**, **Pedro Neto**, **Christopher Nkunku**, **Cole Palmer**, and **Liam Delap**.

Palmeiras’s lineup: **Weverton**, **Vanderlan**, **Bruno Fuchs**, **Micael**, **Agustin Giay**, **Emiliano Martinez**, **Richard Rios**, **Facundo Torres**, **Allan Andrade**, **Estêvão**, and **Vitor Roque**.

Of the players who started the 2021 final, only goalkeeper **Weverton** remains in **Palmeiras’s** starting eleven.

The 2021 final lineups reveal the extent of the turnover at both clubs.

The 2021 **Chelsea** lineup: **Edouard Mendy**, **Antonio Rüdiger**, **Thiago Silva**, **Andreas Christiansen** (**Malang Sarr**), **Callum Hudson-Odoi** (**Saúl Ñíguez**), **Mateo Kovacic** (**Hakim Ziyech**), **N’Golo Kanté**, **César Azpilicueta**, **Kai Havertz**, **Mason Mount** (**Christian Pulisic**), **Romelu Lukaku** (**Timo Werner**).

The 2021 **Palmeiras** lineup: **Weverton**, **Gustavo Scarpa**, **Joaquin Piquerez**, **Luan**, **Gustavo Gomez**, **Marcos Rocha** (**Deyverson**), **Dudu** (**Rafael Navarro**), **Ze Rafael** (**Jailson**), **Danilo**, **Rony** (**Wesley**), **Raphael Veiga** (**Eduard Atuesta**).