Danilo scored the go-ahead goal in the 65th minute and Flamengo scored three second-half goals to move atop its group at the Club World Cup with a 3-1 victory over Chelsea on Friday.
Both teams went into the match with three points atop Group D with opening-match wins. Flamengo will have to wait to see the results of the late match between LAFC and Esperance to see if it has secured a spot in the knockout round.
With Flamengo’s win, South American teams were undefeated at the Club World Cup in nine matches.
Pedro Neto gave Chelsea the early lead. The ball bounced off a Flamengo defender and Neto gained control, charging toward the goal before putting it away in the 13th minute.
Flamengo drew even in the 62nd on Bruno Henrique’s goal on a tap-in in front of the goal. Moments later, the Brazilian giants took the lead off a corner with Danilo’s goal.
Wallace Yan all but put the game out of reach for the Blues with a goal in the 83rd.
The Blues, the 2021 Club World Cup winner, defeated LAFC 2-0 in their opening match in Atlanta. Flamengo downed Esperance 2-0 in its opener.
Flamengo came back to beat Chelsea at thrilling match at the Club World Cup. (Photo by Rodolfo Buhrer/Sports Press Photo/Getty Images)
Former Chelsea defender Filipe Luis currently coaches Flamengo, while former Chelsea midfielder Jorginho made his debut for Flamengo against Esperance.
Down just 2-1, Chelsea still had a chance, but Nicolas Jackson was sent off in the 68th with a straight red just four minutes after replacing Liam Delap, who got his first start for Chelsea after making his debut for the Blues in the tournament opener.
Flamengo is in good position to move on to the round of 16, but it needs a win or a tie by Esperance to secure it. Chelsea plays Esperance on Tuesday in Philadelphia while Flamengo plays LAFC in Orlando, Florida.
Henrique was named the Man of the Match, and said the face that there was a large contingent of red-clad Flamengo fans among the 54,019 at Lincoln Financial Field wasn’t lost on him or his teammates in the pivotal second half.
“I noticed that we had the advantage. We had the fans on our side,” Henrique said. “And that’s when we started to pressure.”
Reporting by The Associated Press.
Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily!
Get more from FIFA Club World Cup Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
