Chelsea Football Club overcame Benfica in a dramatic Round of 16 match at the FIFA Club World Cup 2025, securing a 4-1 victory after extra time following a weather delay. The game, held at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina, was temporarily suspended due to a lightning storm with just four minutes of regulation time remaining.

Reece James had given Chelsea the lead in the 64th minute with a stunning free kick. However, Benfica's Angel Di Maria leveled the score with a penalty in the fifth minute of stoppage time after a handball decision against Chelsea's Malo Gusto. The penalty was scored almost four hours after kick-off.

The weather delay lasted nearly two hours, disrupting the flow of the game and testing the patience of both teams. Upon resumption, Chelsea regained control in extra time. Benfica's Gianluca Prestianni was sent off for a second bookable offense early in extra time, further tilting the match in Chelsea's favor. Christopher Nkunku, Pedro Neto, and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall then scored to seal the victory for Chelsea.

Despite the win, Chelsea suffered a blow as Moises Caicedo will miss the quarter-final match against Palmeiras due to accumulating two yellow cards in the tournament. Reece James, Marc Cucurella, Tosin Adarabioyo, Liam Delap and Pedro Neto are also on a yellow card.

Chelsea will now face Palmeiras in the quarter-finals in Philadelphia on Friday, July 4. Palmeiras reached the quarter-finals after a hard-fought 1-0 victory over fellow Brazilian club Botafogo, with Paulinho scoring the decisive goal in extra time. However, Palmeiras will be without captain Gustavo Gomez, who was red carded.

The FIFA Club World Cup 2025 features 32 teams competing across 63 matches from June 14 to July 13. The quarter-finals will be played on July 4 and 5, with the semi-finals on July 8 and 9. The final is scheduled for July 13 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Other Round of 16 matches include Paris Saint-Germain vs. Inter Miami and Flamengo vs. Bayern Munich.