Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca appeared to factor in the extreme heat in Philadelphia—still feeling like 36°C at the 9pm kickoff—when selecting his team for their clash against ES Tunis.
The Italian rotated heavily, making eight changes to his starting XI. Key players such as Cole Palmer, tournament top scorer Pedro Neto, and record signing Moises Caicedo were all rested.
Maresca made additional substitutions during a subdued second half, as Chelsea gradually took control to avoid a potential upset. ES Tunis, who needed a win to advance at Chelsea’s expense, ultimately fell short.
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Striker Liam Delap scored his first Chelsea goal as the Blues qualified for the knockout stages of the Club World Cup with a win over ES Tunis.
The 22-year-old scored with a placed shot deep into first half added time to get off the mark after his £30m move from Ipswich earlier this month.
It came just two minutes after defender Tosin Adarabioyo headed in a free-kick from Enzo Fernandez to open the scoring.
Substitute Tyrique George added a late third with practically the last kick of the match n front of 32,967 fans at Lincoln Financial Field.