Chelsea have suffered a massive blow as they lost 3-1 against Flamengo in Philadelphia on Friday at the 2025 Club World Cup. They kick-started the tournament with a 2-0 win over Los Angeles FC in the tournament opener with goals from Pedro Neto and Enzo Fernandez.
It was a solid start for the Blues against Flamengo with an early goal, but things went downhill for Enzo Maresca’s men in the second half, with substitute Bruno Henrique restoring parity, followed by a goal from Danilo.
This was the first time Chelsea trailed in the game, and Maresca introduced a couple of substitutes to change the game. Jackson was one of the substitutes, and within a few minutes, the Senegalese came up with an aggressive studs-up challenge on Ayrton Lucas and was immediately sent off.
Jackson’s moment of madness saw the Blues get reduced to 10 men, and later, when substitute Wallace Yan scored the third goal and put the game beyond Chelsea’s reach.
Despite the defeat, Chelsea’s scope for qualification to the knockouts remain in their hands as a win against ES Tunis will help them progress to the next round.
Following the defeat, Jackson penned a heartfelt apology on his social media. “I want to say sorry,” he wrote on Instagram on what was his 24th birthday.
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“Another red card… And honestly, I’m so angry at myself. I work hard every day to help the team not to put us in this kind of situation.
I still don’t fully understand how it happened. But one thing is clear: it wasn’t intentional. Just a moment in football that went the wrong way.
“No excuses. I take full responsibility. I’ll reflect, I’ll grow, and I’ll come back stronger for the badge and for everyone who believes in me.
“Sorry. Sorry, Sorry.”
What did Enzo Maresca say about Jackson’s error?
Maresca shared that the sending off changed the game completely, but he felt the decision was marginal. “Those six minutes completely changed the dynamic of the game,” Maresca said at the post-match press conference.
“I’m not 100 per cent sure that it’s a red card compared to the Newcastle one, but it can be, and the referee decided it.
“It’s a little bit of a bad moment for Nico in these things. He knows very well that both situations were not something good for the team.”
Chelsea teammate Marc Cucurella feels that Jackson needs to work on discipline. “He is a young player, he has a lot of quality, he maybe needs to improve this a little bit. We are here to improve, we are not perfect, so it is part of the game,” the Spaniard told DAZN.
Former Chelsea player and current Flamengo manager Felipe Luis expects the youngster to come back stronger. “It was a little mistake,” Luis said. “It was a clear red for me, but it is a small detail for a player who can be one of the biggest strikers in the world.”
