FIFA Club World Cup 2025: Group D Standings After Chelsea Beat LAFC 2-0

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Chelsea began their FIFA Club World Cup 2025 campaign with a solid-though not flawless-2-0 victory over Los Angeles FC in Atlanta, giving them an early lead in Group D.

Goals from Pedro Neto and Enzo Fernandez helped the Premier League side take all three points in their opening match. The result sees Chelsea sit atop the group table with a +2 goal difference and three points, ahead of Brazil's Flamengo and Tunisia's Espérance de Tunis, who are yet to play. LAFC, meanwhile, find themselves at the bottom with zero points and a -2 goal difference.

Despite the win, Chelsea's overall performance was far from clinical. Cole Palmer and Nicolas Jackson had early chances before the breakthrough arrived in the 34th minute. Jackson found Neto on the right with a clever pass, and the Portuguese winger skipped past Ryan Hollingshead before firing low past Hugo Lloris. The French goalkeeper, facing Chelsea for the 24th time in his career, endured yet another defeat-his 20th against the Blues.

The MLS side came out with intent after the break. David Martinez missed a good chance, and Denis Bouanga forced a sharp save from Chelsea keeper Robert Sanchez. Timothy Tillman also came close, but the breakthrough eluded them.

Chelsea eventually doubled their lead in the 79th minute. Substitute Liam Delap provided a precise pass to Enzo Fernandez, who calmly slotted it home to seal the win. Neto nearly added a second to his name late in the match, only to see his effort strike the crossbar.

Statistically, Chelsea recorded 1.96 expected goals (xG) to LAFC's 0.82, but signs of concern remain. Palmer, one of Chelsea's key attacking outlets, took six shots without hitting the target, and managed just 0.29 xG. Head coach Enzo Maresca will be hoping for sharper finishing when Chelsea face Flamengo next on Friday-a match likely to decide the group leaders.

Group D Standings (After Chelsea-LAFC Match)