By Kazeem Ugbodaga
Flamengo RJ pulled off a sensational comeback to defeat Chelsea 3-1 in a heated encounter at the ongoing FIFA Club World Cup in the United States.
The Brazilian side overcome an early deficit and a VAR scare to book a major victory.
The Premier League side took the lead in the 13th minute through Pedro Neto, who embarked on a brilliant solo run before slotting a low shot past Agustin Rossi into the centre of the goal, putting Chelsea 1-0 up.
Flamengo responded with determination and nearly levelled just before halftime, as Gerson’s well-placed header was dramatically deflected away by a Chelsea defender in the 43rd minute.
After the break, the Brazilians dominated proceedings. In the 55th minute, a rebound fell kindly to Gonzalo Plata inside the box, but his sliced shot flew narrowly wide.
Chelsea’s goalkeeper Robert Sanchez was soon called into action, producing a superb save in the 61st minute to deny Plata once more after the winger fired towards the top corner.
The breakthrough came in the 62nd minute when Bruno Henrique latched onto a defence-splitting pass and coolly finished into the bottom right corner to bring Flamengo level. Though referee Ivan Barton called for a VAR review to check a possible offside in the build-up, the goal was upheld.
Barely three minutes later, Flamengo turned the game on its head. Henrique turned provider this time, squaring the ball for Danilo, who finished into an empty net to make it 2-1.
Chelsea’s night went from bad to worse in the 68th minute when Nicolas Jackson was shown a straight red card for a reckless tackle, reducing the English side to 10 men.
Flamengo sealed the result in the 83rd minute as Wallace Yan tapped home a precise pass from Gonzalo Plata, capping a dominant second-half performance from the South American champions.
The 3-1 victory places Flamengo in a strong position as the tournament progresses, while Chelsea, despite their early control, are left to regroup after a frustrating collapse in a high-stakes Club World Cup fixture.
