Pedro Neto and Marc Cucurella react to Enzo Fernandez’s ‘important’ Chelsea message
Chelsea got their Club World Cup campaign off to a winning start with Enzo Fernandez and Pedro Neto at the forefront.
Enzo Maresca’s side kicked off Group D of FIFA’s newly-revamped tournament with a 2-0 win over Los Angeles FC in Atlanta, and went to the top of the table before being joined at the summit by Flamengo.
Neto opened the scoring in the 34th minute to cap off a dominant first half from the Blues, before Liam Delap came off the bench to mark his Chelsea debut with an assist for Fernandez’s clincher in the 79th.
Chelsea were quick to trigger Delap’s £30million release clause in the wake of Ipswich Town’s relegation with a plan for the striker to make an immediate impact, and he’s now part of a well-oiled Blues attack.
Fernandez marks Chelsea win as ‘just the beginning’
The debuts of Delap and fellow new arrival Dario Assugo against LAFC have already given Chelsea fans a glimpse into what next season could bring at Stamford Bridge, and the Blues won’t be shy to spend big.
That’s exactly what they did to buy Fernandez from Benfica for a British record transfer fee in 2023, and after his goal 11 minutes from time sealed the win for Chelsea on Monday, the Argentine sent a message.
Posting on Instagram (17 June) in the aftermath of the Blues’ victory, Fernandez shared a selection of photos and included the rallying cry of: “Just the beginning. Very important win Chelsea FC”.
Fernandez’s team-mates responded with messages of their own in Portuguese and Spanish respectively, as Neto said; “what a player”, and Marc Cucurella added: “Arriveer”.
Chelsea ready to go all the way in Club World Cup
Maresca couldn’t have asked for a more immediate impact from Delap at Chelsea after an assist within 15 minutes of his Blues debut, and Nicolas Jackson will be the only individual worried by his display.
With Flamengo and Esperance de Tunis up next for Chelsea, the relative ease of their win over LAFC will give Maresca confidence that his side can progress into the latter stages of the Club World Cup.
Chelsea were already riding a wave after beating Real Betis 4-1 to win the UEFA Conference League title, and are quickly among the heavy favourites to add a second trophy in quick succession this summer.