Chelsea beat Palmeiras 2-1 to book its place in the Club World Cup semifinals, thanks to the goal scored by Malo Gusto in the 83rd-minute that went in after two deflections.
Cole Palmer put Chelsea ahead in the 16th minute, but Estêvão, an 18-year-old who will switch over to Chelsea this summer, levelled the score with an angled shot in the 53rd minute. Gusto’s shot following a short corner kick appeared to deflect off defender Agustin Giay and goalkeeper Weverton, sending Chelsea’s fans into a frenzy. FIFA ruled it as an own goal by Weverton.
Chelsea will face Fluminense on Tuesday at East Rutherford, New Jersey. Hércules came off the bench and scored in the 70th minute to help Fluminense beat Al Hilal 2-1 in the previous quarterfinal. With Chelsea’s win, three of the four semifinal teams are from Europe and one from Brazil.
Twenty-three-year-old Palmer scored his first goal in the Club World Cup and demonstrated why he is widely rated as one of the top attacking midfielders. He took a pass from Trevoh Chalobah and slipped the ball inside the far post.
Earlier, there was a pregame tribute for Liverpool player Diogo Jota and his brother, André Silva, who were found dead near Zamora in northwestern Spain after their Lamborghini crashed and burst into flames on an isolated stretch of the highway.
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