Chelsea FC reached the FIFA Club World Cup semifinals after a thrilling 2-1 victory over Brazil's Palmeiras early Saturday morning in the United States.
The English side dominated the first half of the match, played at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, with their star Cole Palmer opening the scoring in the 16th minute with a precise strike from inside the box. Meanwhile, the Brazilian team failed to pose any real threat to Chelsea's goal.
Palmeiras came out stronger in the second half and quickly equalized in the 53rd minute through a stunning strike by Estevão Willian, who scored a brilliant goal. The match then turned into a back-and-forth battle until Chelsea snatched the winner in the 83rd minute, thanks to an own goal by Palmeiras defender Agustín Giay, who accidentally deflected the ball into his own net.
Chelsea will now face Brazil's Fluminense in the semifinals this Tuesday, after Fluminense defeated Saudi Arabia's Al-Hilal 2-1 in Friday night's match.
The other semifinalists will be determined later Saturday evening in the remaining quarterfinal matches: Bayern Munich (Germany) vs. Paris Saint-Germain (France), followed by Real Madrid (Spain) vs. Borussia Dortmund (Germany).