Chelsea commenced their FIFA Club World Cup 2025 journey with a comfortable 2-0 victory over Los Angeles FC (LAFC) at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. The match, marking the first-ever Club World Cup encounter between an English and American team, saw Chelsea dominate possession and create numerous scoring opportunities.
The Blues, fresh off their Europa Conference League triumph, displayed their intent from the kickoff. However, despite their dominance, a lack of clinical finishing initially hampered their progress. Noni Madueke, in particular, was guilty of missing a couple of clear-cut chances early in the game.
Chelsea's persistence finally paid off in the 34th minute when Pedro Neto broke the deadlock with a stunning goal. The winger skillfully navigated past his defender on the right flank before unleashing a precise shot that nestled into the near corner of the net, leaving LAFC goalkeeper Hugo Lloris with no chance.
LAFC, making their debut in the competition, struggled to contain Chelsea's attacking threat in the first half and were largely confined to their own half. However, the MLS side emerged with renewed vigor after the break and began to create some meaningful attacking opportunities. David Martínez came close to equalizing early in the second half, while Denis Bouanga forced a save from Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sánchez after latching onto a long ball.
Despite LAFC's improved performance, Chelsea remained composed and continued to probe for a second goal. Their efforts were rewarded in the 79th minute when Enzo Fernández doubled their lead. New signing Liam Delap, making his debut for the Blues after joining from Ipswich Town, delivered a well-placed cross that Fernández expertly converted, firing the ball into the top corner of the net.
Chelsea could have added further gloss to the scoreline in the closing stages, with Neto striking the crossbar with the last kick of the game. However, the 2-0 victory was enough to secure three points for the London club and give them a positive start to their Club World Cup campaign.
While Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca will be pleased with the win, he will likely demand more clinical finishing from his players in future matches. Nevertheless, the victory demonstrated Chelsea's intent to compete seriously for the Club World Cup title.
For LAFC, the defeat was a disappointing start to their campaign, but they can take heart from their improved second-half performance. The Black & Gold showed glimpses of their attacking quality and will be hoping to build on that in their remaining group matches against ES Tunis and Flamengo.
The match took place in front of a somewhat subdued atmosphere at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium, with noticeable empty seats in the stands. This could be attributed to the game being held on a Monday evening.
Looking ahead, Chelsea will face a sterner test against Flamengo in their next Group D match, while LAFC will seek to bounce back against ES Tunis.
