Liam Delap hopes his first Chelsea goal will be the “first of many” after the new summer signing helped the Blues into the last 16 of the Club World Cup.
Enzo Maresca’s side beat Esperance Tunis 3-0 in Philadelphia to secure the runners-up spot in Group D, with Tosin Adarabioyo, Delap and Tyrique George getting on the scoresheet. It means Chelsea will face Benfica in the round of 16 in Charlotte on Saturday.
Delap, who arrived from Ipswich Town in a £30million deal earlier this month, doubled Chelsea’s lead in first half stoppage time. The 22-year-old took a pass from Enzo Fernandez, turned past one defender and flicked outside another before calmly rolling the ball into the net, although goalkeeper Bechir Ben Said made minimal effort to stop the shot.
After the game, Delap told the club’s website: “Obviously it is a really happy feeling and hopefully it is the first of many. I spoke to Enzo (Fernandez) and he told me when he gets the ball to just run. It was a great pass and luckily it went in.
“I love playing football and to play for such a good team is a great feeling. We had to win to get through and we are all happy we are into the next stage.”
It was Chelsea’s first return from Delap, who snubbed the likes of Manchester United to join the west Londoners. Maresca, who made eight changes, was pleased with the performance of his side coming after their loss to Flamengo in their previous game.
The Italian said: “It was important to bounce back and win. Now we can start to think about the next one. It was very important to be patient and then when we found the goal it became a bit more open.
“We are happy for all the players, especially for the ones who have gone a long time without minutes. From 32 teams now we are in the last 16. Hopefully we can go to the last eight.”
