Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca has described Nicolas Jackson’s red card as "a bad moment" following his team’s 3–1 loss to Flamengo in the Club World Cup on Thursday, June 20, 2025.
The match, held at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, saw Chelsea take the lead in the 13th minute through Pedro Neto. However, Flamengo responded with three second-half goals to overturn the deficit and hand Maresca’s side their first defeat of the tournament.
Bruno Henrique levelled the score in the 62nd minute, before Danilo made it 2–1 just three minutes later. Chelsea’s situation worsened when substitute Nicolas Jackson received a straight red card in the 68th minute for a dangerous challenge—his second sending-off in recent weeks, having also been dismissed in a 2–0 Premier League loss to Newcastle.
Down to 10 men, Chelsea struggled to contain Flamengo’s momentum, and Wallace Yan sealed the result in the 83rd minute with a deflected strike.
Speaking after the game, Maresca expressed his disappointment:
"It was a bad moment for Nico, especially because he just came on. These kinds of mistakes cost us, especially in matches like this."
Jackson later took to social media to apologise to Chelsea fans, teammates, and coaching staff, saying he regretted the challenge and accepted full responsibility.
With this result, Flamengo sit top of Group D with six points from two games, while Chelsea remain second with three points. Maresca will be hoping for a strong response in their final group match to secure a place in the next round.
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