Advertisement League of Ireland Horse Racing TV Listings GAA Fixtures The Video Review Sport meets news, current affairs, society & pop culture Rugby Weekly Extra Dive into all the news and analysis 3 times a week The Football Family Weekly insights from the week’s big talking points Advertisement More Stories Chelsea's Liam Delap celebrates at the end of the Club World Cup group D match.Alamy Stock Photo Nearly 50,000 empty seats as Chelsea defeat LAFC in Club World Cup opener Pedro Neto and Enzo Fernandez’s goals got the Blues off to a good start. 10.33pm, 16 Jun 2025 Share options CHELSEA KICKED off their Club World Cup campaign with a solid 2-0 victory over Los Angeles FC on Monday in Group D, although there were nearly 50,000 empty seats in the stadium in Atlanta. Pedro Neto and Enzo Fernandez’s goals got the Blues off to a good start in a competitive clash against one of the three qualified MLS teams. New signing Liam Delap made his debut as a substitute and helped set up Fernandez’s strike, with Chelsea hoping to go far after their Uefa Conference League triumph and Champions League qualification, looking to re-establish themselves among the elite. After a solid start to the tournament regarding attendance numbers over the opening weekend, a sparse crowd of just over 22,000 settled in at the stylish 71,000-capacity Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Behind former Tottenham Hotspur stopper Hugo Lloris’ goal in the first half, a couple of hundred LAFC ‘ultras’ helped provide an atmosphere with a drum beat and constant song. Although the closed stadium roof offered refuge from the Georgia humidity and mid-afternoon summer sun, which Paris Saint-Germain and Atletico Madrid stars roasted under on Sunday at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, the attendance suffered badly because of the 3:00 pm local time kick-off. Despite regular strong crowds for MLS side Atlanta United, the best supported US team, few locals decided to take a Monday off work for the tournament’s first weekday afternoon game, seemingly chosen to suit a British television audience. After beating Club America in a play-off to qualify for the competition as late as May, LAFC took the place of the banned Mexican side Club Leon, and will play none of their three group games in California. Advertisement Mercedes-Benz Stadium seconds before kick-off. No hiding this is not a great look for the tournament. pic.twitter.com/3bGfkc6MEX— James Olley (@JamesOlley) June 16, 2025 The top ring of the stadium was entirely shut, and other levels were only partly filled, despite ticket prices dropping in the days ahead of the game. Lloris rated his team’s chances against Chelsea as “really thin” on the eve of the game and was called into action several times as the Blues took control from the start. The French stopper saved from Nicolas Jackson and then Noni Madueke after the Senegalese forward set him up, while Cole Palmer whistled a strike narrowly over. With new signing Delap looking on from the bench, Jackson played like a man determined to keep his starting spot. The striker was instrumental in Neto’s opener, releasing the Portuguese winger with an excellent through ball. Neto chopped in the box to leave LA defender Ryan Hollingshead stumbling helplessly out of sight and then buried a powerful strike past Lloris, low at the near post. - Delap debut - Former Chelsea striker Olivier Giroud came on at half-time for the Americans, hoping to threaten Robert Sanchez’s goal more than Steve Cherundolo’s team managed in the first half. Jackson came close with a header, and LA almost levelle,d but Sanchez made a fine save with his outstretched leg to thwart 2023 MLS golden-boot winner Denis Bouanga after he shook off Neto. Maresca brought on 22-year-old striker Delap for his Chelsea debut after the hour mark, having begun the game with all of the club’s new faces on the bench. The forward drove into space and tried to tee up Fernandez with a promising first move in a Chelsea shirt since his arrival from relegated Ipswich Town. Chelsea star Palmer, who had shown occasional flashes of brilliance, hammered over. LA threatened increasingly, with Marc Cucurella blocking well from David Martinez, before Fernandez grabbed Chelsea’s second. Running into the six-yard box, the Argentine midfielder controlled Delap’s cross from the right and beat Lloris to put the game to bed. Elsewhere in Group D, Esperance Tunis face Brazil’s Flamengo later on Monday. – © AFP 2025 View 3 comments Send Tip or Correction Embed this post To embed this post, copy the code below on your site Email “Nearly 50,000 empty seats as Chelsea defeat LAFC in Club World Cup opener”. Recipient's Email Feedback on “Nearly 50,000 empty seats as Chelsea defeat LAFC in Club World Cup opener”. Your Feedback Your Email (optional) Report a Comment Please select the reason for reporting this comment. Please give full details of the problem with the comment... This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic. Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy before taking part. Leave a Comment Submit a report Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines. Damaging the good reputation of someone, slander, or libel. Racism or Hate speech An attack on an individual or group based on religion, race, gender, or beliefs. Trolling or Off-topic An attempt to derail the discussion. Inappropriate language Profanity, obscenity, vulgarity, or slurs. Advertising, phishing, scamming, bots, or repetitive posts. Please provide additional information Thank you for the feedback Your feedback has been sent to our team for review. Leave a commentcancel Access to the comments facility has been disabled for this user View our policy ⚠️ Duplicate comment Post Comment have your say Or create a free account to join the discussion Premier League News in 60 seconds Freemisfortune Loss to Shamrock Rovers completes a miserable day for Drogheda Sexton: 'I purchased my Munster season ticket, put it that way' FreeOne and done Grit and guile sees Shelbourne inflict first home defeat in a year on St Patrick's Athletic David Sneyd reports from Richmond Park Freeopportunity knocks Cardiff appoint highly rated Irish coach as new manager AnalysisA Closer Look Game-by-game guide after today's All-Ireland senior football draw Drogheda United expelled from Uefa Conference League after losing appeal On the Move Kerry man Diarmuid O'Carroll joins Sparta Prague from Newcastle United new chapter Dublin seven-time All-Ireland winner transfers to Meath side Dunboyne Luck of the Draw Dublin to face Cork: here is the All-Ireland SFC preliminary quarter-final draw FreeAnthony Nash Drink driving prosecution against former Cork goalkeeper dismissed Dates For Diary GAA confirm next weekend's All-Ireland senior football and hurling fixtures more from us Investigates Daft.ie Property Magazine Allianz Home Magazine The 42 Sports Magazine Money Diaries The Journal TV Journal Media Advertise With Us About FactCheck Our Network FactCheck Knowledge Bank Terms & Legal Notices Terms of Use Cookies & Privacy Advertising Competition more from us TV Listings GAA Fixtures The Video Review Journal Media Advertise With Us Our Network The Journal FactCheck Knowledge Bank Terms & Legal Notices Terms of Use Cookies & Privacy Advertising Competition © 2025 Journal Media Ltd Terms of Use Cookies & Privacy Advertising Competition Switch to Desktop Switch to Mobile The 42 supports the work of the Press Council of Ireland and the Office of the Press Ombudsman, and our staff operate within the Code of Practice. You can obtain a copy of the Code, or contact the Council, at https://www.presscouncil.ie, PH: (01) 6489130, Lo-Call 1800 208 080 or email: mailto:info@presscouncil.ie Report an error, omission or problem: Your Email (optional) Create Email Alert Create an email alert based on the current article Email Address One email every morning As soon as new articles come online Sign in or create a free account To continue reading create a free account Or sign into an existing account