Chelsea have booked their place in the FIFA Club World Cup semifinal after a gritty 2-1 victory over Brazilian giants Palmeiras on Friday night at Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, according to The Playoffs. Chelsea attacker Cole Palmer opened the scoring in the 16th minute as he finished superbly past Weverton after a precise through-ball from Trevoh Chalobah.

However, the story of the night was Palmeiras’ 18-year-old star Estevao Willian. The teenager announced himself to his future club in style by scoring a superb leveller from a tight angle in the 53rd minute. Estevao is set to join Chelsea in a £52m deal. The Brazilian winger found space ahead of Levi Colwill before smashing his effort off the bar and past Robert Sanchez.

Despite the setback, Chelsea continued to push forward. Chelsea’s new signing Joao Pedro made his debut in the match after a £55m move from Brighton. Coming on as a second-half substitute, Pedro impressed with his energy and close control. His sharp movement and link-up play nearly resulted in a goal. His presence up-front added to the Blues’ attacking threat alongside Pedro Neto and Palmer.

Chelsea’s breakthrough came late when Malo Gusto’s 83rd-minute strike from a short corner took a double deflection off defender Agustin Giay and goalkeeper Weverton before rolling into the net. FIFA later confirmed the goal as a Weverton own goal.

With Chelsea’s victory, it has now been confirmed that three of the four semi-finalists at the Club World Cup will be European clubs. The result means Chelsea will face Fluminense in the semi-final on Tuesday at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.

However, there was a downside for Chelsea with Liam Delap and Levi Colwill picking up suspensions due to yellow cards. Meanwhile, Chelsea captain Reece James suffered an injury during the warm-up.