Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca didn't hold back his frustration after a two-hour weather delay disrupted his team's Club World Cup victory over Benfica. The Blues eventually secured a 4-1 win in extra time to advance to the quarter-finals, but the match in Charlotte, North Carolina, took a grueling four hours and 39 minutes to complete. Maresca described the situation as "a joke" and questioned whether the United States is a suitable host for major tournaments.
The game was poised for a Chelsea victory when Reece James scored a free-kick in the second half, putting them ahead 1-0 with only four minutes left in regular time. However, a storm warning forced the players off the field, and fans were asked to leave the Bank of America Stadium. Play was suspended for nearly two hours before resuming.
Maresca lamented the impact of the delay, stating, "For me personally, it's not football,". He emphasized that the lengthy interruption broke the game's tempo, creating a completely different match upon restart. "The game was very good for 85 minutes, then we stopped for two hours, and when we started it was a completely different game," he said. "It's not the same game because you break the tempo," Maresca added.
The Chelsea boss acknowledged the need to suspend the game for security reasons but struggled to understand the situation. "I can understand that for security reasons, you have to suspend the game," Maresca stated. He pointed out that six games had already been suspended at the tournament due to similar weather conditions, leading him to suggest that the United States might not be the right place to host the competition. "If you suspend seven or eight games, that means that probably this is not the right place to do this competition," he said.
Despite his criticism, Maresca stressed that he still appreciates the Club World Cup. He also praised his team's performance and resilience in overcoming the unusual circumstances. "It was one of the best performances of the last few weeks," Maresca said. "I'm very proud. The performance for me was top until the last five minutes when they stopped the game, and when we restarted [it was] a completely a different game," he added. He said the team deserved the win after they continued to play hard following the lengthy delay.
Chelsea's match wasn't the only one affected by the weather. A match between Benfica and Auckland City was delayed for almost two hours, and another game involving Ulsan HD and Mamelodi Sundowns was also interrupted. Red Bull Salzburg's clash with Pachuca faced an even longer delay of over 90 minutes.
Following the interruption, Benfica equalized with a late penalty after Malo Gusto's handball. However, Chelsea regained control in extra time after Gianluca Prestianni's sending off, with goals from Christopher Nkunku, Pedro Neto, and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall sealing the victory. Chelsea will now face Palmeiras in the quarter-finals.
