'Little Messi' scores a great goal, Palmeiras still gives semi-final ticket to Chelsea: Because Palmer is too good

Chelsea became the second team to reach the semi-finals of the FIFA Club World Cup 2025™ when they successfully decoded the 'phenomenon' Palmeiras with a 2-1 victory in the match that took place on the morning of July 5.

After an impressive 4-1 victory over Benfica in the round of 16, Chelsea were predicted by the supercomputer Opta to have a 74.8% chance of defeating Palmeiras and reaching the semi-finals. Moreover, their confidence is very high as 4 years ago, Chelsea also defeated this opponent to win the FIFA Club World Cup. However, the British media assessed that "The Bleus" cannot underestimate their opponent as under the leadership of coach Abel Ferreira, Palmeiras is a force in South America, having won the Copa Libertadores two years in a row (2020, 2021). This team is also in impressive form with 10 clean sheets in the last 14 matches in all competitions.

Notably, in the quarter-final match against Chelsea, Palmeiras used the young striker who was in great form at the FIFA Club World Cup 2025™, Estevao. This player was nicknamed "little Messi" when at the age of 18, he broke Neymar's record, becoming the first person to contribute to 20 goals in the Brazilian Serie A. In the 2025 season, Estevao continued to shine with 11 goals and 5 assists in 36 matches in all competitions. On the opposite side, Pedro Neto - a close friend of the recently deceased player Diogo Jota, still endured his pain and started for Chelsea.

Pedro Neto still holds back the pain, plays as a starter for Chelsea - PHOTO: REUTERS

With many young players in the squad, Palmeiras played confidently in the first half. However, the Brazilian team completely lost the midfield, only controlling the ball for about 35%. Estevao tried his best, constantly moving wide, but was always closely marked, unable to create a breakthrough. The 18-year-old striker had 20 touches in the first half but lost the ball 10 times. The best chance that Palmeiras created in this half belonged to a header in the 41st minute by left-back Vanderlan. However, his shot was too weak and could not trouble Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sánchez.

On the other side of the front line, Chelsea deployed a fast-paced attacking style. Coach Enzo Maresca's students held the ball for more than 60% of the time, with 10 shots, causing Palmeiras' goal to constantly shake. At the end of the first half, the English team also had a 1-0 advantage thanks to Cole Palmer's classy handling in the 16th minute.

Cole Palmer (10) brought Chelsea the lead after the first half - PHOTO: REUTERS

Estevao scores but Palmeiras still lose

In the second half, the match became more exciting when Palmeiras unexpectedly pushed up their attacking formation in the first minutes. After a lackluster first half, in the 53rd minute, Estevao surprised the fans at Lincoln Financial Field when he made a breakthrough and finished at an unbelievable angle, equalizing the score 1-1 for Palmeiras.

Unexpectedly conceding a goal, Chelsea increased the tempo of the attacking match. The London team still dominated the ball, deploying a variety of attacking tactics to penetrate the Palmeiras net. In that situation, Cole Palmer continued to show his role when he played outstandingly, receiving 8.2 points from Sofascore , the highest on the field. In the 83rd minute, Chelsea took the lead 2-1 after an own goal by Agustín Giay. In this situation, Cole Palmer continued to leave a big mark when he was the player who quickly initiated the corner kick on the left wing, making many short passes that surprised the Palmeiras defense.

In the last 5 minutes, Palmeiras pushed up their formation to find an equalizer. Estevao tried his best but unfortunately could not overcome Chelsea's dense defense. The score of 2-1 in favor of the English team was maintained until the end of the match.

"Little Messi" Estevao scored from an unbelievable angle but Palmeiras was still eliminated - PHOTO: REUTERS

Defeating Palmeiras 2-1, Chelsea became the second team to reach the semi-finals of the FIFA Club World Cup 2025™. Coach Enzo Maresca's team's opponent is Fluminense - the team that wrote a fairy tale when defeating Al Hilal 2-1 in the early morning of July 5.

Watch FIFA Club World Cup 2025™ live and only in Vietnam on FPT Play, at http://fptplay.vn

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/tieu-messi-ghi-sieu-pham-palmeiras-van-nhuong-ve-ban-ket-cho-chelsea-vi-palmer-qua-hay-185250705101348973.htm