Brazilian heavyweights, Flamengo, took to social media to poke fun at Chelsea following their dramatic 3-1 comeback victory at the Club World Cup on Friday.
The Group D clash saw Flamengo overturn an early deficit after Pedro Neto’s strike, his second of the tournament, gave the Blues an early lead.
But the tide quickly turned when substitutes Bruno Henrique and Danilo struck within a three-minute span to put the South Americans in front.
Chelsea’s woes deepened when Nicolas Jackson, on his 24th birthday, received a red card just four minutes after replacing Liam Delap. His reckless challenge on Ayrton Lucas further dented the Blues’ hopes.
Wallace Yan sealed the win late on, with Flamengo, featuring ex-Chelsea man Jorginho, becoming the first team to secure a place in the Round of 16 in the revamped 32-team summer tournament in the United States.
Chelsea must now beat Esperance, who edged out Los Angeles FC 1-0 in a later match in Nashville, when the two sides meet in Philadelphia on Tuesday to keep their campaign alive.
Advancing from the group could see the Premier League side face Group C winners, potentially Bayern Munich, in the knockout round due to tournament tiebreaker rules.
Flamengo, already boasting a 2-0 win over Esperance from last week, celebrated their victory over Chelsea with a playful jab on X.
“Easy win against London Blue,” the club’s official English account posted (via Yahoo Sport).
The cheeky reference to “London Blue”, along with a matching badge, harks back to the Pro Evolution Soccer video game series, where unlicensed clubs were given generic names.
Chelsea were once dubbed “West London Blue” or simply “London FC” in the game.
