A grandson leading the generations that follow

It was the last spot in the Club World Cup that was up for grabs. On one side, América, a Mexican team with a legion of fans supporting them in Los Angeles, much like what happens with the national team anywhere in the world. On the other, Los Angeles FC, a home team with a crowd similar to that of the Europeans, a super fun team that faced a challenge different from the ones they have been used to since they were founded ten years ago. In the end, with a great comeback in the final minutes of extra time, the Americans won and stamped their 32nd and final passport to the new competition that would be held in the country. Even so, the news was in Mexico – in this case, lamenting the defeat.

Despite being in the same boat in terms of realities that are almost opposite to those in Europe, it was likely that a triumph for América would allow thousands and thousands of Mexicans to travel to the US to join the thousands and thousands who already live there. So, with Los Angeles, there was only the fan club and little else, as was clearly demonstrated in this debut in Atlanta. Even in terms of sporting intensity and aggression, it would be different. However, Enzo Maresca, the coach who took Chelsea this season to win the Conference League and seal their return to the Champions League, refused to take any kind of easy approach.

“If you look at leagues around the world, you’ll notice that football has evolved. There are many teams doing things better and playing good football. Technology means that any club in the world can watch and analyse games. Their coach [Steve Cherundolo] spent his entire playing career in Germany [Hannover, between 1998 and 2014] and brings all that experience. In the second round, we’ll also face a Brazilian coach who spent his career in Spain [Filipe Luís, from Flamengo]. Football is a global sport and we’ll experience that. We’re proud to represent Chelsea in this competition and we’re here to win the World Cup… then we can have a holiday,” he said ahead of the match against a team that had two of the most experienced players in European football: Hugo Lloris and Giroud.

Maresca was not far from the truth, but he could have added another universal truth in the world of football: if you don't score, you risk conceding. That's what happened to Los Angeles, who after a first half in which they were out of the game had opportunities to equalise and take the match against the English. They were not effective, Robert Sánchez shone in goal and it was the Blues who came out smiling in a triumph with numbers that do not reflect what happened in the last 45 minutes of a game with almost empty stands in Atlanta, most likely in one of the worst attendances of this Club World Cup.

Chelsea came out determined to take control of the game but were unable to escape the impression that came from (or rather, jumped out at) the stands: the pace was slow, empty, with the Londoners dominating, with no clear opportunities apart from the occasional move when Cole Palmer had space or Madueke made a good breakaway move. Nicolas Jackson tried to make the first threat but slipped when trying to shoot in the area (5′), Madueke had the first real chance with a cross shot that Lloris saved (17′). It was Pedro Neto who then tried to change the pace of the match with 1v1 attacks from the right of the attack, and it was Pedro Neto who finally managed to break through the Americans' defensive wall: Jackson played well with his back to goal, played a good long pass and the Portuguese only had to take an opponent out of the way with class before shooting with his left foot to make it 1-0, leaving Lloris with no chance (34′).

Both coaches wanted more, and both coaches made changes at half-time. Maresca brought on Malo Gusto and Enzo Fernández in search of other attacking dynamics that could speed up the game, while Steve Cherundolo brought on the experienced Olivier Giroud in search of more presence in attack. Among the improvements, Los Angeles managed to play more and came close to equalising, with Denis Bouanga taking advantage of the Blues ' passive defence to shoot low, which was superbly saved by Roberto Sánchez (57'). The American team grew in the match, and were more often close to the opposition's area, but it was Chelsea who finally sealed the match, with a goal from Enzo Fernández after an assist from Delap (79'). And speaking of debuts, there was another one seven minutes from the end: Dário Essugo, a young U-21 international signed from Sporting who was on loan at Las Palmas, replaced Caicedo in the 83rd minute and made his first appearance for the blues , who are increasingly betting on a new generation of reinforcements, including Quenda and Estêvão, among others.

The pearl

• Enzo Maresca had the gift of turning Chelsea into a team and not just a collection of good players, bought for millions and millions of euros without any filter and, in some cases, without any performance. However, even though they won the Conference League, it is still a project under construction, which has now even invested more in young talents to build the foundations for a better future. Thus, when the team is not able to perform as well, it is the individual talent that comes to the fore. Once again, that is what happened: with all eyes focused on Cole Palmer, perhaps overly regarded as the team's star player and one of the best in the Club World Cup, it was Pedro Neto who managed to make the changes that allowed the Londoners to secure a victory in their debut in the competition.

• He was one of the “cheapest” players among the truckloads of money Chelsea have spent since Todd Boehly and his partners bought the club from Abramovich, and he has also been one of the players with the best performance, even in terms of cost/minutes. Robert Sánchez was far from being an unquestionable option for the Blues ’ goal, but he managed to hold his place and once again did what is expected of a “big” goalkeeper: few interventions, good interventions, decisive interventions. Enzo Fernández came on at half-time to decide the match, Delap also had a good debut, but it was the Spanish goalkeeper who twice saved the English side from a draw that could have complicated the game.

• With this victory, Chelsea now leads Group D of the competition, taking an important step towards the round of 16 and also waiting to see what might come out of the other match that will be played this morning between the Brazilians from Flamengo (who are favorites) and the Tunisians from Espérance Tunis.

• It could even have been a mere lapse in production when the players were introduced one by one on the road to the pitch, with all the cameras pointed at the stands that could not be seen in the broadcast and that were empty. But no, it was not a mistake. It was more like a case of one down, one down . Why? The attendance at the Mercedes-Benz in Atlanta would have embarrassed any pre-season tournament organizer, especially with an American team (who play on the other side of the country, it should be added) involved. What's more, as some international bodies reported during the warm-up exercises, the state of the pitch itself left a lot to be desired...