Chelsea Football Club faced Los Angeles Football Club on Day 3 of the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 and ended the afternoon with a 2-0 win. The match took place at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta and was the first of three for the day. Argentine club Boca Juniors face Portuguese powerhouse Benfica at 6:00 PM ET, while Day 3 ends with the storied Brazilian club Flamengo CF taking on Tunisian champions Espérance Sportive de Tunis at 9:00 PM ET.
Noni Madueke got the first good shot on goal for Chelsea after dispossessing LAFC. Nicolas Jackson laid the ball off to him, and as he was falling, took a shot on Hugo Lloris. The ball went straight to him for an easy save, but the Englishman made a valiant effort.
In the 34th minute, Pedro Neto scored to break the deadlock. After pacing down the right side, he came to a dead stop to drop Ryan Hollingshead to the pitch. He cut inside and fired a low effort near post to beat LAFC goalkeeper Hugo Lloris.
LAFC saw their best chance at goal in the 56th minute. Forward Denis Bouanga found himself 1 v 1 with goalkeeper Robert Sánchez. Bouanga tried to go low, but Sánchez made a split-second kick save and launched the ball out of play.
In the 62nd minute, Chelsea brought on new signing Liam Delap and young favorite Tyrique George. Liam Delap had a brilliant first few minutes and almost earned an assist for his efforts. As he beat the keeper down his right side, he passed the ball back to Pedro Neto, whose effort was deflected out for a Chelsea corner. After keeping up the pressure, Neto found Cole Palmer in the box. He had a decent look but skied his attempt out of play.
In the 71st minute, Hollingshead pushed forward and found himself unmarked. In acres of space, he took a shot on goal. It wasn’t the worst, but it did fly over the crossbar.
Enzo Fernandez gave Chelsea some cushion in the 79th minute, Cole Palmer gathered the ball down the right side, and sent a perfect through ball to Delap. Delap then sent a lofty cross to the center of the box to Enzo Fernandez. He quickly gathered possession after chesting the ball down and beat Hugo Lloris for the club’s second goal.
Chelsea weren’t at their best, but they were able to eke out a win. The attendance was low for Mercedes-Benz Stadium, seeing a meager 22,137 fans in attendance, but most importantly for the players, they had positive things to say about the pitch (there were concerns with the experimental new turf that was brought in).
“The quality of the pitch was good,” Chelsea defender Tosin Adarabioyo began. “There were a few bubbles on the pitch but overall it was good.” LAFC’s Mark Delgado agreed. “The field was good. It was a bit tricky because of how it rolled after long balls, but overall it was good.”
Chelsea will play Flamengo on Friday, June 20, and LAFC takes on Espérance Sportive de Tunis.
-Jon Jones
Cover photo: Jon Jones
Other Photos: Getty Images