It was mainly one-way traffic in the first half, with the largest Chelsea opportunities for left back Marc Cucurella. Benfica – With former ERIVISIONIST Vangelis Pavlidis, Orkun Kökcü and Fredrik Aursnes in the base – had a hard time.
Even after the break, Chelsea remained the parent and that finally translated into a goal for The Blues. Reece James placed a free kick from the side in the short corner and thereby surprised goalkeeper Anatoliy Truin.
Players and fans inside through the storm
The quarterfinals was within reach for the Londoners, but in the 86th minute a temporary breaker came: the weather. Not for the first time this tournament, the strict Storm Regulations of FIFA came into effect, which prescribes that the competition will be stopped within 10 kilometers from the stadium. For example, the players and fans were directed in with a few minutes left, while there was no rain or thunder or lightning nearby.
Plenty of strikes during Duels Wk 2026? Strict Protocol FIFA stops Benfica-Aucland for 2.5 hours
Fifteen minutes after the start of the strike it was still dry in the Bank of America Stadium of Charlotte FC. The sun even broke through at some point.