Chelsea 2 LAFC 0: Neto’s chop, Jackson v Delap part one and a topless Giroud halts the show

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Pedro Neto and Enzo Fernandez both found the net as Chelsea opened up their Club World Cup campaign with a hard-earned victory over LAFC in Atlanta

After being released by Nicolas Jackson, winger Neto sent Ryan Hollingshead sprawling with a devastating chop onto his left foot before slamming home the opening goal of the game with 34 minutes gone.

A bizarre display to the second half, caused by LA’s ex-Chelsea striker Olivier Giroud standing on the sidelines topless for an extended period waiting for a match shirt to be delivered to him, did little to put the Premier League giants off their rhythm, although Steve Cherundolo’s MLS side put up a spirited resistance at Mercedes-Benz Stadium — right up until debutant Liam Delap crossed for Fernandez to make it 2-0.

Here, Liam Twomey and Felipe Cardenas break down the main talking points from the game.

The opening act of the Jackson-Delap equation 

With the headline comments of his pre-match press conference at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Maresca’s message to new signing Liam Delap was also a message to Jackson.

Chelsea’s starting XI to face LAFC underlined the notion that this will be a genuine contest for the starting striker spot in this team and Jackson, perhaps still eager to atone for the red card which curtailed his Premier League season, did plenty to suggest he is ready for the challenge.

There was no goal and little in the way of direct goal threat from the polarising figure at the tip of Maresca’s attack, but plenty of examples in the first half of Jackson doing Jackson things.

His link-up play might be his single best attribute and it might have led to an opening goal in the 17th minute had Hugo Lloris not reacted quickly to block Noni Madueke’s low shot with his left foot.

LAFC are not the first opponent to struggle with Jackson’s tendency to come towards the ball and then pick out precise passes to wingers or supporting midfielders. Chelsea’s passages of possession often come alive when they reach him and team-mates become more willing off-ball runners, buoyed by the knowledge that he will look for and find them.

That is exactly what happened for Neto’s goal; Jackson’s pass sprang him into so much space that Hollingshead was forced into a desperate slide and no other LAFC defenders could get close enough to pressure his eventual shot, which was whipped just inside Lloris’s near post.

Jackson appeared to be having fun right up until the moment when Maresca decided it was Delap’s turn to test the LAFC defence. The Senegal international cut a morose figure as he trudged off while the new signing’s arrival prompted the loudest roar of the game.

Liam Delap replaces Nicolas Jackson in the second half (Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images)

Delap’s penalty-area fortunes were similarly mixed during his short cameo, but he provided one flash of his direct quality when he rounded his LAFC marker, drew Lloris towards him, and then cut the ball back for Fernandez, who was only denied a tap-in by a last-ditch block.

The two men combined to put the game away in the 80th minute, Delap drifting into the right channel, running onto Cole Palmer’s pass and clipping a pinpoint cross for Fernandez to convert.

Maresca will want Jackson and Delap to trouble the scoresheet themselves in this tournament, but there are already signs that Chelsea are meaningfully stronger up front.

Liam Twomey

Giroud’s wardrobe malfunction delays proceedings

The second half was delayed after former Chelsea center forward Giroud, now LAFC’s star signing, was left waiting for his white No 9 shirt.

Giroud walked out from the dressing room in his GPS tracker top and looked befuddled as to what to do next. Chelsea’s players, meanwhile, were ready to get started at the center circle, and became increasingly frustrated with the delay. Eventually, LAFC backup goalkeeper David Ochoa sprinted from the dressing room and handed Giroud his shirt.

Play resumed but it was an awkward moment for a veteran player like Giroud. Perhaps the nerves he felt in facing his former club distracted him from his routine.

A beshirted Oliver Giroud prepares to – eventually – come on as a second-half substitute (Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images)

Giroud has scored just five times for LAFC since signing for the club in May of 2024. The France World Cup winner, now 38, has been a disappointment considering his track record and ability to remain fairly active in front of goal in the later stages of his career.

On Monday, he looked off the pace against Premier League opposition. He finished without a shot on just eight touches.

Felipe Cardenas

Slow and steady stuff from Chelsea – with room for improvement

The opening week of this surreal new tournament has been punctuated by emphatic statements of intent by two of the favourites: Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain.

Chelsea’s win over LAFC does not belong in that bracket. It was largely comfortable, at times defensively unconvincing and almost entirely forgettable. But it was also more than enough to satisfy Enzo Maresca, leaving his team well positioned to dominate Group D.

Having only arrived at their training base in Philadelphia late last week and flown to Atlanta on Sunday, Chelsea were always at risk of lacking rhythm and energy. The air-conditioned atmosphere of the closed Mercedes-Benz Stadium at least removed the stifling Georgia heat and humidity as a consideration, but full focus cannot always be summoned on command.

Chelsea lacked the intensity they will need with and without the ball to go deep into this Club World Cup, and their defensive sloppiness in the second half will almost certainly be punished by better opposition than LAFC. They also continue to lack the best version of Palmer, who capped a reasonable but less than stellar display by blazing a presentable chance over the bar.

Enzo Fernandez celebrates scoring Chelsea’s second goal (Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images)

But this is what the group stage is for. Chelsea have the time to play their way into peak form and three points against LAFC affords them the luxury of doing so in an instant position of strength. If they beat Flamengo too, their final group game against Esperance de Tunis is likely to become an exercise in wholesale rotation.

There will be more minutes for Delap and maybe even scope to take a closer look at new faces like Dario Essugo and Mamadou Sarr. Andrey Santos will surely also get his opportunity to carve out the prominent role many expect him to play in this squad going forward.

Chelsea will be no one’s favourites after the first round of matches, but they are exactly where they want to be.

Liam Twomey

Why were there so many empty seats?

A Monday at 3pm in Atlanta, during the hot summer months, is best spent at a nearby pool. Parents are working and kids are in summer camp. And if an Atlantan is brave enough to navigate the notoriously horrendous downtown traffic, it better be for a valid reason.

It appeared on Monday that a Club World Cup group-stage match between Chelsea and LAFC was not worth the trip. The 70,000-capacity Mercedes-Benz Stadium was calm and nearly empty just one hour before kickoff.

The home of the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons and MLS side Atlanta United is one of the loudest domed stadiums in the country. The early sights of empty seats underscored the lack of awareness that the tournament has in the U.S.

A bird’s-eye view of the pitch prior to kickoff (Shaun Botterill – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)

Still, in typical Atlanta fashion, fans entered the stadium as the match progressed in the first half. Slowly the seats began to fill, but the top level, the 300-level sections, were empty. Those fans had been directed by stadium officials to make their way down to the lower bowl, as the optics on television would be friendlier if the lower sections were filled out.

One UK-based reporter who was visiting Atlanta for the first time was surprised by how loud the stadium was. The attendance was announced at just over 22,000 people.

LAFC had a respectable turnout of their fans who traveled from California. They sang and played their drums throughout the match, which added to the atmosphere. But it was the Chelsea fans who set the tone for the day. Every attacking sequence was met with loud cheers. Palmer’s slick technical ability was applauded en masse. It wasn’t a sellout by any means but, for a Monday afternoon in Atlanta, it was normal.

Felipe Cardenas

What next for Chelsea?

Friday, June 20: Flamengo, Club World Cup group stage (Philadelphia), 2pm ET, 7pm UK

What next for LAFC?

Friday, June 20: ES Tunis, Club World Cup group stage (Nashville), 5pm ET, 10pm UK

You can sign up to DAZN to watch every FIFA Club World Cup game for free

(Top photo: Stuart Franklin – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)

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