Chelsea supervisor Enzo Maresca described the close to two-hour delay to their Membership World Cup last-16 conflict with Benfica as “not soccer”.
The Blues appeared on target for a routine 1-0 win after Reece James gave them the lead within the sixty fourth minute.
However the gamers had been referred to as from the pitch and the match suspended after thunderstorms had been detected inside an eight-mile radius of Financial institution of America Stadium in Charlotte.
The delay lasted one hour and 53 minutes and, with Chelsea’s momentum interrupted, Benfica equalised by way of Angel Di Maria’s Ninety fifth-minute penalty.
Christopher Nkunku, Pedro Neto and Kiernan Dewsbury-Corridor every discovered the web in further time to safe a 4-1 win for Chelsea.
However Maresca made no try to cover his frustration on the stoppage, the newest in a string of delays throughout the competitors due to climate. The US, alongside Canada and Mexico, is about to host the 48-team World Cup in 2026, and Maresca clearly has doubts it ought to host such occasions.
“For 85 minutes we had been accountable for the sport,” stated Maresca.
“We didn’t concede something; we created possibilities sufficient to win the sport. After which after the break the sport modified utterly.
“For me personally, it’s not soccer. You can’t be inside for 2 hours. It’s one thing utterly new.
“I can perceive that for safety causes, you might be to droop the sport. However should you droop six, seven video games that implies that most likely shouldn’t be the precise place to do that competitors.
“This can be a improbable competitors. The Membership World Cup is high; we’re blissful to be within the final eight.
“It’s not regular to droop a recreation. In a World Cup, what number of video games are suspended? Most likely zero. In Europe, what number of video games? Zero.
“So two hours inside – folks converse with the household outdoors [to check] in the event that they had been good with the safety. Folks consuming, laughing, speaking on their mobiles. It was two hours. That’s why I stated it’s not soccer.”
Chelsea will face Palmeiras within the quarter-finals in Philadelphia subsequent Saturday.