Philly hosted its last FIFA Club World Cup game Friday night and it had all the thrills, noise and literal fireworks that any Fourth of July event deserves.
English side Chelsea returned to Lincoln Financial Field for the third time this summer and defeated Brazilian side Palmeiras, 2-1, in front of 65,782 fans, the stadium’s best attendance this tournament.
Before the game, soccer fans let the city know they were here. Palmerias rallied outside City Hall Friday afternoon, while Chelsea fans took over the official supporters club’s home bar Tir nA Nog on Thursday and Friday, as they did in previous games this summer.
Leading up to the game, Palmeiras coach Abel Ferreira tried to leverage the Fourth of July vibes to build support for his underdog side against British opposition.
Palmeiras manager Abel Ferreira doing his best to rally Americans behind his Brazilian side as they prepare to face the Brits of Chelsea—on Independence Day in the United States.
“It can be a good opportunity for local people to join with us against the English. It can be a good… pic.twitter.com/cHtIGRz041
— José Roberto Nuñez (@JoserNunez91) July 3, 2025
Ticket prices dipped to as low as $15 Friday, and when it filled out, the blue team from London appeared to have the numbers in the stands, while the São Paulo-based side in green brought the flags, banners and organized noise that has charged the stadium since its opening game.
The Linc added patriotic spectacle to proceedings by moving the singing of the national anthem closer to the start of the game, with volleys of fireworks “at the rockets red glare” and “the home of the brave.” There was also a live DJ set and fireworks show during halftime. Thirty minutes into the game the fireworks at the Ben Franklin Bridge peaked over a corner of the stadium, and footage of that show was played briefly on the stadium’s big screens.
Before kickoff, there were moments of silence to pay tribute to Liverpool star Diogo Jota and his brother André Silva, who both died in a car accident in Spain on Thursday. Their Portuguese compatriot, Chelsea’s Pedro Neto, entered the field holding a shirt in honor of them.
Chelsea opened the scoring in the 16th minute through their English star Cole Palmer, who turned deftly with the pass from Trevoh Chalobah, ran across the goal and two defenders before slotting the ball into the bottom corner and performing his trademark “shiver” celebration.
Palmeiras’ 18-year-old star Estêvão is set to become a Chelsea player next season, but still received a rough treatment from the Blues defenders like Marc Cucurella. He showed why Chelsea paid a reported $40 million for him, though, by scoring Palmeiras’ equalizer from an improbably tight angle in the 53rd minute.
The game remained closely contested, but Chelsea found its winning goal rather fortunately in the 83rd minute, when Malo Gusto’s cross deflected off Palmeiras defender Agustín Giay’s foot and then the hip of the wrong-footed goalkeeper Weverton.
Despite being on the losing side, Estêvão’s performance earned him the player of the match award.
Chelsea will now go on to face yet another Brazilian side, Rio de Janeiro’s Fluminense, on Tuesday at 3 p.m. Palmer said he expects another tough game against strong opposition.
“I feel like they’re more physical, more rough,” he said when asked how they compared to Chelsea’s usual opposition in the English Premier League. “We know that they’re good teams, so it’s difficult to play against them.”
Palmer also shared some words with Estêvão on the field after the final whistle, despite a language barrier.
“I just said we look forward to seeing you, but he didn’t understand a word I said,” Palmer revealed.
The other semifinal still has to be decided, with the remaining quarterfinal matches playing out today between Paris Saint Germain and Bayern Munich at noon, followed by Real Madrid against Borussia Dortmund at 4 p.m. The tournament semifinals and final will all be held at nearby Metlife Stadium.
For those who are disappointed that the soccer at the Linc is over until next year’s six FIFA World Cup matches, just a friendly reminder that the Philadelphia Union currently have the best record in Major League Soccer and are playing away at Nashville SC at 8:30 p.m. tonight. The team next plays at Subaru Park in Chester on July 9, taking on rivals New York Red Bulls in the quarterfinal of the U.S. Open Cup.
