"This is not soccer."
Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca, who won the FIFA Club World Cup in the round of 16 against Benfica after twists and turns, was outraged.
In the round of 16 between Chelsea and Benfica at Charlotte Bank of America Stadium in North Carolina, Chelsea Reece James shook the net in the 19th minute of the second half to lead 1-0, and five minutes before the end of the game, thunder and lightning struck around the stadium and the game was suspended. The umpires ordered the players of both teams to wait in the locker room after they were sent off the ground, and the game resumed after as many as an hour and 53 minutes. Later, Benfica's Angel Di Maria scored a penalty theater goal in the second half of extra time, and the game went back to square one, and an unexpected overtime game began. In the second half of extra time, Nkucu pushed a comeback goal, and relay goals from Pedro Netu and Dewsbury Hall poured in, winning 4-1 to seal the quarterfinals. Benfica collapsed amid numerical inferiority as Prestiani was sent off with a accumulated warning.
Coach Maresca, who confirmed his advance to the quarterfinals in as many as four hours and 38 minutes, was outraged. "We dominated the game for 85 minutes. After a two-hour break, the game changed completely. To me, this is not football. Seven, eight and nine games have already been suspended. This is a joke, not a football. It doesn't fit us. If you stop playing because of security concerns, that's understandable. However, if the U.S. suspends seven to eight games due to such problems, the U.S. is not the right place to host the Club World Cup." In fact, six games were suspended in cities other than Charlotte due to issues such as rain and wind and typhoons, and players had to fight the heat wave that hit the eastern and central United States.
"The problem is that if the game is stopped, this is not football," Maresca said. This is not football. It's a completely different thing. Benfica scored after the break. They needed to chase. We were winning when we were inside, but when we came back out in two hours, we were mentally different and everything was different. After the game was suspended for two hours, they played a completely different game. This is not the same game. The tempo is all broken. I can eat, laugh, talk on my phone, and do anything for 2 hours. It's not football. We didn't concede a goal for 85 minutes, but we conceded a goal in just five minutes. Why? Because it was a completely different game."
Director Maresca said "Please don't misunderstand and listen. This contest is a great one. It's the best competition. And I'm glad that we're in the quarterfinals. "But there's a problem. " "6 to 7 games have been suspended. How many games will be suspended in the World Cup? It will be zero games. How many games will be suspended in the Euros? It's 0 games. We've been here for two weeks and six or seven games have been suspended. There is a problem. I'm happy to participate in the competition, but this is not a normal situation."
Reporter Jeon Young-ji sky4us@sportschosun.com
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
