Chelsea and Flamengo kicked off their Club World Cup campaigns with victories, despite playing in front of sparse crowds. Chelsea edged out Los Angeles FC 2-0 at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, with Pedro Neto and Enzo Fernandez scoring the goals. The match was notable for the large number of empty seats, with only around 22,000 fans attending the 71,000-capacity venue. Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca expressed satisfaction with the result, highlighting new signing Liam Delap’s contribution to the team’s success.In another match, Flamengo dominated Esperance of Tunisia 2-0 in Philadelphia, with Giorgian de Arrascaeta and Luiz Araujo scoring the goals.
The Brazilian giants fielded a strong side, featuring several Brazil internationals, and gave a debut to Italian midfielder Jorginho. Despite the wins, the low attendance figures at both matches were a notable aspect of the tournament’s early stages.In Group C, Benfica fought back to draw 2-2 with Boca Juniors in a dramatic encounter at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami. Boca Juniors took a two-goal lead through Miguel Merentiel and Rodrigo Battaglia, but Benfica equalized with a penalty scored by Angel di Maria and a header from Nicolas Otamendi. The match was marked by intense action, including red cards for Andrea Belotti of Benfica and Nicolas Figal of Boca Juniors.
