Chelsea defeated Palmeiras 2-1 on Friday night to secure a berth in the Club World Cup semifinals. Malo Gusto’s goal in the 83rd minute set the tone following two deflections.
Cole Palmer gave Chelsea the lead in the 16th minute, but an angled shot in the 53rd minute from 18-year-old Estêvão, who will join Chelsea this summer, knotted the score against his future team.
After a brief corner kick, Gusto’s effort seemed to bounce off goalie Weverton and defender Agustin Giay, sending the 65,782 Chelsea supporters into a frenzy. FIFA gave Weverton credit for an own goal.
Chelsea’s next game is against Fluminense on Tuesday in East Rutherford, New Jersey, so it won’t be a long trip. In Friday’s earlier quarterfinal, Fluminense defeated Al Hilal 2-1 thanks to a goal by Hércules in the 70th minute after coming off the bench.
Estevao’s goal is in vain as Chelsea edges Palmeiras to reach semifinals
There is scarcely a more fitting method for Estevao Willian to announce himself to Chelsea. Chelsea supporters might have been a touch ecstatic on Saturday when the 18-year-old Brazilian scored Palmeiras’ equalizer from an almost impossible angle against the Blues.
It was a fantastic preview of the talent Chelsea has acquired in a transaction that might ultimately be worth £52 million, even though he had just tied the score against their team in the Club World Cup quarterfinal.
Although Estevao’s final game for the Brazilians was undoubtedly remarkable, a late Palmeiras own goal ensured that Chelsea would ultimately face Fluminense in the semi-final.
The Palmeiras wonderkid was signed by the Blues last summer, defeating teams like Manchester City, Paris St-Germain, and Bayern Munich. However, the Blues allowed him to remain in Brazil for the previous season and play for the Brazilians in this summer’s Club World Cup.
