CHELSEA fans believe the team have “scammed their way” to the Club World Cup final after Harry Kane’s horror miss for Bayern Munich.
The England captain squandered a brilliant chance to salvage a draw for the Bundesliga giants against Benfica.
Kane, 31, headed wide from just a couple of yards out in the 98th minute of the clash at the Bank of America Stadium.
Bayern, therefore, lost the tie, having earlier gone 1-0 down to Andreas Schjelderup’s 13th-minute strike for Benfica.
The win for the Portuguese side saw them claim top spot in Group C while Kane and Co had to settle for second place.
As a result, this means that Benfica will play Chelsea in the last 16 while Bayern will play Flamengo.
The Blues have been drawn against Benfica as they finished second behind the Brazilian outfit in Group D.
Chelsea supporters now feel as though they have a much more favourable route to the final.
One posted: “How have we scammed our way to the final?”
A second commented: “Tactical second place finish from Chelsea I like it.”
A third wrote: “The best route for the Blues.
A fourth said: “Our path to the semi-final is now Benfica and then either Palmeiras or Botafogo.
“We’ve escaped both PSG and Bayern. We’ve got Delap and a star-studded squad.”
Another added: “Thank you Flamengo for beating us.”
Should they get past Benfica, they would then face either Palmeiras or Botafogo.
If they had been on the other side of the draw, then they could have come up against either Champions League winners PSG or Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami.
Chelsea could then face much tougher opposition in the semi-final with the likes of Real Madrid, Manchester City and Juventus potential opponents.
Club World Cup 2025 Guide
SOME of the world’s biggest clubs are in action at this summer’s Club World Cup in the United States!
Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid, Man City, and Inter Miami are among the 32 teams taking part in the tournament, which runs from June 14 to July 13.
The likes of Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, Erling Haaland, Ousmane Dembele, Cole Palmer and Harry Kane are showcasing their skills to packed crowds across the US.
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Or if there are some shocks along the road, then the West London side could face Argentine outfit River Plate or even South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns.
Chelsea won their final game of the group stage 3-0 against Tunisian side Espérance Sportive de Tunis.
Liam Delap scored his first goal for the club following his £30million switch from Ipswich Town.
His strike came between goals from Tosin Adarabioyo and Tyrique George.
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