Chelsea began their 2025 FIFA Club World Cup campaign with a composed 2-0 victory over Los Angeles FC as the inaugural 32-team tournament continues to gather momentum in the United States.
Following in the footsteps of fellow European giants Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich—who both won their opening group games—Chelsea secured three points in their Group D opener, though their performance was more measured than dominant.
While PSG were clinical in a 3-0 victory over Atletico Madrid and Bayern Munich dismantled Auckland City 10-0, Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea were solid rather than spectacular in Atlanta.
Goals from Pedro Neto and Enzo Fernandez sealed the win for the Premier League side. New signing Liam Delap, making his debut after arriving from Ipswich Town, came off the bench and played a key role in the second goal, assisting Fernandez’s strike.
Maresca praised the team’s performance, calling it a “very good result”, and expressed satisfaction with Delap’s contribution.
“Quite quick,” said the Italian manager when asked about Delap’s adaptation.
Maresca also commented on the subdued matchday atmosphere, with the game kicking off at 3:00 p.m. local time on a Monday and drawing a crowd of just over 22,000 in the 71,000-capacity stadium.
“The environment was a bit strange, the stadium was almost empty, not full,” he noted.
LAFC, who qualified late for the tournament by beating Club América in a playoff last month after Mexican side Club León was disqualified, struggled to contain Chelsea in the first half.
The Blues opened the scoring just after the half-hour mark. Nicolas Jackson slipped a pass through to Pedro Neto, who cut inside LA defender Ryan Hollingshead and fired a powerful shot past Hugo Lloris.
Former Chelsea striker Olivier Giroud came on at halftime for LAFC, and Steve Cherundolo’s side showed more attacking intent in the second half. However, Chelsea remained in control.
Delap’s introduction proved decisive as he delivered a pinpoint cross to the arriving Fernandez, who controlled the ball expertly and slotted it home to double Chelsea’s lead and seal the victory.
Chelsea, buoyed by their recent UEFA Conference League title and return to the Champions League, are hoping to reassert their place among Europe’s elite in this expanded global competition.
