Chelsea cruised into the round of 16 at the Club World Cup on Tuesday with a commanding 3-0 win over Tunisia’s Esperance de Tunis, thanks to goals from Tosin Adarabioyo, Liam Delap, and substitute Tyrique George.
With qualification still up for grabs in Group D, Enzo Maresca’s men delivered when it mattered most, sealing second place behind Flamengo, who were held to a 1-1 draw by LAFC in the group’s other fixture.
Flamengo finished top with seven points, Chelsea followed with six, while Esperance and LAFC exited with three and one point respectively.
The result sets up a tantalizing clash between Chelsea and Group C winners Benfica on Saturday at Charlotte’s Bank of America Stadium.
Meanwhile, Flamengo are scheduled to face Group C runners-up Bayern Munich in Miami on Sunday.
Maresca continued to rotate his squad, leaving key figures like Cole Palmer and Robert Sánchez on the bench and serving a two-match ban, striker Nicolas Jackson remained unavailable after his red card in the 3-1 defeat to Flamengo.
Delap, who joined Chelsea from Ipswich Town in a £30 million deal, looked lively early on. His 20th-minute header was dramatically cleared off the line, and he missed a golden opportunity to score ten minutes later, firing wide from close range.
Despite dominating possession throughout the first half, Chelsea lacked incision in the final third. That changed in stoppage time when Adarabioyo rose highest from a corner to nod in the opener.
Barely two minutes later, Delap made amends for his earlier misses. Pouncing on a loose ball in the box, he weaved past a defender and buried a composed finish into the far corner, his first goal for the club.
The second half saw Chelsea maintain control, showing maturity in managing the tempo of the game and keeping Esperance at bay.
Their dominance was capped off in stoppage time when George, coming off the bench, rifled home a third from the edge of the area to complete a clinical performance.
Chelsea now turn their attention to Saturday’s knockout tie against Benfica, with hopes of continuing their Club World Cup journey.