Chelsea’s hopes of maintaining a perfect start to the FIFA Club World Cup suffered a major blow in Philadelphia, as they fell 3–1 to Flamengo in a heated contest overshadowed by a shocking red card for Nicolas Jackson.

Manager Enzo Maresca had introduced the Senegalese striker as part of a double substitution shortly after Flamengo equalised in the second half. But rather than inspiring a turnaround, Jackson's brief cameo proved disastrous.

From Control to Collapse
Chelsea had gone into half-time 1–0 ahead thanks to a composed first-half finish from Pedro Neto. However, Bruno Henrique levelled matters for the Brazilian side in the 62nd minute, calmly slotting home after sustained pressure.

Maresca responded with changes, bringing on Jackson for Liam Delap, who had been making his debut following his £30 million move. The plan backfired almost immediately.

Veteran Flamengo defender Danilo then pounced inside the area to make it 2–1, capitalising on Chelsea’s disorganisation to flip the match on its head in the space of just three minutes.

Jackson's Moment of Madness
What followed was a moment of recklessness that left both sets of fans stunned.

Just minutes after coming on, Jackson launched into a horrific studs-up challenge that caught Flamengo’s Lucas high on the shin. The tackle, described as a “leg breaker” by many observers, left the referee with no choice but to brandish a straight red card.

Despite some futile protests from his team-mates, there was no defending the challenge.

“Unbelievable — a stupid, stupid, stupid mistake,” said former Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel on commentary.
“I don’t know what was going through his head. Your team needs you and he does that!
He did something similar against Newcastle and got sent off. You can’t keep making mistakes like this.”

Flamengo Finish the Job
Down to 10 men, Chelsea struggled to pose a serious threat in the closing stages.

Flamengo manager Filipe Luís, a former Chelsea full-back enjoying a rapid rise as a coach, made an inspired substitution that sealed the win. Moments after being introduced, Wallace Yan reacted quickly to a loose ball from Gonzalo Plata’s deflected effort, slotting past Robert Sánchez in the 85th minute to make it 3–1.

The defeat leaves Chelsea needing a result in their final Group C match against ES Tunis to secure passage to the knockout stages of the tournament. They had previously opened their campaign with a victory over LAFC.