Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has said his team expected a more lively atmosphere in their FIFA Club World Cup opener against Los Angeles FC (LAFC).
The Italian coach hailed his players for securing a 2-0 win over LAFC in the sparsely attended Club World Cup game.
Chelsea Boss Enzo Maresca Found Club World Cup Attendance ‘Strange’
Chelsea, who won the Europa Conference League in front of 40,000+ fans at Stadion Miejski last month, began their Club World Cup campaign on Monday.
They faced Major League Soccer (MLS) team LAFC at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, with only 22,000 fans attending. Considering it is a 71,000-seater venue, around 50,000 seats were vacant for the Blues’ tournament opener. It was a shock as Chelsea, one of the two Premier League clubs in the CWC, was expected to draw a much larger crowd.
After Chelsea secured the win, Enzo Maresca said it felt strange playing in front of so many empty seats.
“The environment was a bit strange, the stadium was almost empty, not full,” Maresca told reporters (via France24).
“We are professional, we have to adapt to the situation, to the environment. It’s important the behaviour of the players, the attitude, and once again they showed how professional they are.”
Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca said the number of empty seats at his side’s Club World Cup opening win against LAFC made for a “strange environment”.
The Conference League holders took on the side from MLS in the Mercedes-Benz stadium in Atlanta, a 70,000-capacity NFL stadium… pic.twitter.com/wVro1dVEYY
— The Athletic | Football (@TheAthleticFC) June 16, 2025
Chelsea will face Brazilian side Flamengo in their second CWC game at Lincoln Financial Field on June 20. Maresca expects a much higher attendance and a livelier atmosphere in that Club World Cup outing.
He added:
“We prepared this game also thinking that the environment was a bit different, but no doubt that the next one will be a nice one, because we know that the Brazilian teams, they always bring many, many fans.”
Both Chelsea and Flamengo won their first games at the Club World Cup. While the Pensioners overcame LAFC, Flamengo claimed a 2-0 win over ES Tunis.
Pedro Neto and Enzo Fernandez on Target in Win Over LAFC
After Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich got off to explosive starts at the Club World Cup, all eyes were on Chelsea on Monday. Christopher Nkunku had fitness concerns after he missed the last training session, but he was ultimately fit to feature on the bench.
The West London club got off to a winning start, but they were not nearly as dominant as the other two. They had six shots on target, missed two big chances, and had an xG of 2.24. LAFC, who created and missed three big chances, finished with an xG of 0.85.
In the 17th minute, Noni Madueke had the opportunity to make a breakthrough as he burst in from the left. However, his finishing was below par, which allowed Hugo Lloris to make a save.
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) June 16, 2025
They finally broke the deadlock in the 34th minute, courtesy of a brilliant bit of finishing from Pedro Neto. Nicolas Jackson slipped a through ball for the winger to chase down the right. After getting on the ball, Neto cut in, sold a dummy to beat defenders, and applied a thumping finish past Hugo Lloris.
Chelsea got their insurance goal in the 79th minute, with substitutes Enzo Fernandez and new signing Liam Delap linking up. Delap floated a juicy cross from the right, allowing Fernandez to flick it in from point-blank range.
