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Delap shines on Chelsea debut, beats LAFC 2-0 in Club World Cup
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Pedro Neto and Enzo Fernandes got on the scoreboard in Atlanta

Chelsea began their FIFA Club World Cup 2025 campaign with a 2-0 win over Los Angeles FC on Monday, though the atmosphere was notably subdued at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, with only 22,137 fans in attendance in a venue that seats over 71,000.

The match marked the debut of Liam Delap, Chelsea’s £30 million summer signing from Ipswich, and the 21-year-old made an immediate impact. His intelligent movement and link-up play set up Enzo Fernandez for a simple second-half finish following a pinpoint cross. Earlier, Pedro Neto had opened the scoring with a composed near-post strike after breaking free in the first half.

Despite Chelsea’s win, their performance was far from dominant. LAFC — led by World Cup winners Olivier Giroud and Hugo Lloris — created several chances through Denis Bouanga and substitute David Martinez, but lacked the clinical edge to convert.

Chelsea’s next fixture in the US will be against Flamengo on Friday, while LAFC will face Esperance Tunis.