Fans have been left all saying the same thing after Chelsea qualified for the last-16 of the Club World Cup.
The Blues needed just a draw to reach the knockout stages in the United States, with Enzo Maresca’s men earning a 3-0 win over Tunisian side ES Tunis in Philadelphia on Wednesday.
Tosin Adarabioyo and Liam Delap were on the scoresheet before Tyrique George added a late third after Maresca rotated his side from the shock 3-1 defeat by Flamengo, with the Italian making eight changes but still seeing a comfortable win for his side in their third game of the tournament.
Their win means they will face Portuguese side Benfica in the last-16, with Flamengo winning the group before a ball was kicked on matchday three.
Coming second in the group, however, may be a blessing in disguise for the Premier League side. It means they have avoided a game against German champions Bayern Munich after they came second in Group C – with Flamengo instead set to face Vincent Kompany’s men.
And that is something fans on social media have been keen to point out, suggesting that, despite the Blues winning on Wednesday, they have been handed an easier draw.
Fans have been left saying the same thing after Chelsea qualified for the last-16 of the Club World Cup
The Blues won’t, however, face Harry Kane’s Bayern Munich after they lost on Wednesday
Fans were keen to point out that the two sides have avoided each other – either of them winning their group would have resulted in a match-up
‘Chelsea escaped Bayern,’ one fan posted on X, accompanied by a heartbroken emoji and a photo of a footballer crying.
Another added: ‘Out path to the semi-final is now Benfica and then either Palmeiras or Botafogo. We’ve escaped both PSG and Bayern. We’ve got Delap and a star studded squad.’
A third, meanwhile, posted: ‘I wanted Bayern vs Chelsea.’
A win over Benfica would indeed mean Chelsea would take on either Palmeiras or Botafogo in the quarter-finals, meaning they would be favourites to reach the last-four.
It was a mixed group stage for the Blues, who beat LAFC 2-0 in their first game before falling to defeat at the hands of Flamengo in the second game.
Bayern, meanwhile, were on course to top their group until they suffered a shock 1-0 defeat at the hands of Benfica.
