Liam Delap: 'Very happy' Enzo Maresca gives verdict as striker scores first goal for club and Chelsea reach knockouts at Club World Cup
Updated 25/06/2025 at 12:44 GMT+1
Chelsea beat ES Tunis 3-0 in the FIFA Club World Cup to book their spot in the knockout rounds of the competition, with new signing Liam Delap bagging his first goal for his new side. It was a tough outing for The Blues in the extreme Philadelphia conditions, but they ran out comfortable winners in their last Group D game and will now play Benfica in the last 16.
Maresca hails 'very good player' Delap after first Chelsea goal at CWC
Video credit: SNTV
Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca admitted he was "very happy" with how his side fared in their FIFA Club World Cup victory against ES Tunis in Philadelphia, as Liam Delap scored his first goal for his new side.
The former Ipswich Town forward grabbed Chelsea’s second in a quickfire double for The Blues after Tosin Adarabioyo had put them into the lead on the stroke of half-time.
Tyrique George scored their third in the second half to add gloss to the scoreline and ensure Chelsea progressed to the knockout stages in style.
Delap was playing just his third game for Chelsea following his £30 million move from Ipswich, and getting on the scoresheet clearly impressed his new boss.
"It’s a good feeling for him. It's a good feeling for the teammates, and we are happy to have him with us," Maresca said, as reported by The Standard.
"I’m very happy," the manager continued.
"We wanted the win to continue to build a winning mentality. And I think the players, they were good, and now we can think about the next one."
The conditions were tough for Chelsea, with Philadelphia in the grip of a heatwave. The humidity added to the sapping heat at Lincoln Financial Field, despite the late kick-off.
It took until deep into injury time at the end of the first half for Adarabioyo to open the scoring, heading home from an Enzo Fernandez free kick.
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Delap added his goal two minutes later, before George scored deep into injury time at the end of the second half on a sweltering evening.
Delap’s goal was well taken, and helped his new team no end, given they will still be without Nicolas Jackson in their next match following his red card earlier in the tournament.
"It is a really happy feeling," Delap told the club about scoring his maiden goal for his new side.
"I just love playing football and playing for such a good team, it’s a great feeling."
Chelsea move forward into the knockout stages as group runners-up behind Flamengo and face Group C winners Benfica in the next round.
"Now, we just finished the [ES Tunis] game. We have two or three days to prepare again. With these conditions, we're going to try to do our best," Maresca added.
Chelsea last played Benfica in the 2013 UEFA Europa League final, beating the Portuguese side 2-1.
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