An opening round victory over Los Angeles FC set them on the right path but a hugely disappointing and fiery 3–1 defeat to Flamengo in their subsequent outing threatened their place in the last 16. Fortunately, ES Tunis posed little resistance in Chelsea’s final Group D outing, with a 3–0 victory confirming their progression.

Estevao will soon be a Chelsea player but could help send them home from the Club World Cup when he faces them with Palmeiras

In the end, Chelsea triumphed in a match that ended a full four hours and 38 minutes after it began. "For me ... it's not football," an enraged Enzo Maresca said afterwards.