Chelsea star Romeo Lavia eyes Club World Cup glory after 'craziest game I've played in'

Romeo Lavia insists Chelsea have “gained a lot” from the “craziest game” he has ever played in.

Chelsea now face Palmeiras in Friday’s Club World Cup quarter final in Philadelphia with a growing belief they can go all the way in this competition. Belgium midfielder Lavia says Chelsea have always had confidence they could win the trophy in the United States which would pocket the club £97m in prize money.

But if there was a big moment in their campaign then it was certainly the post-match celebrations after they saw off Benfica in extra time in the last 16 stage.

Chelsea were on course for a comfortable win, the game was delayed by the weather for nearly two hours with the players taken off the pitch before Benfica snatched a last gasp equaliser when it restarted.

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But if you wanted proof that this trophy means something to the players then Chelsea’s celebrations after their goals in extra time and at the full time whistle told the full story.

Lavia, 21, said: “We were just celebrating a win and the qualification. Nothing wrong with that. Yes, we definitely gain a lot from that result but at the same time we feel as if we are ready to do what we need to do and we were feeling very confident before the game.

“It’s just good to see that we had the right mentality to come back onto the pitch and complete the game. It’s what we deserved so we were happy that it came out the way we wanted. It was probably the craziest game I’ve ever played in.”

Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca branded the weather delay a “joke” and “not football” but Lavia was more measured in his attitude.

The US rules state that games are held up for 30 minutes whenever lightning storms happen and that time resets each time a bolt strikes again.

It has caused chaos and six weather delays in the tournament while the Chelsea players struggled to stay warm and focused in the dressing room when they were ordered off the pitch.

Lavia said: “The rules are the rules and we just have to respect them whether we are angry about them or not because they are the rules and just get on with it. That’s what we did.

“It kept getting delayed but we were just there waiting to get back on the pitch and to get the job done. They gave us communication only on how long until we could get back onto the pitch.

“It was quite surprising how many fans stayed because when we first came out again it felt like everyone had gone home and then they all came out and the support we had was insane. We really appreciated it.”

Chelsea now face Palmeiras and Lavia says it is impossible to say who are favourites to go through and reach the semi finals.

He added: “They are a good team, we watched a few of the games in the Group stages so we know it will be a good game for us and we’re excited to play it. It’s a game of football you can never say one team is the favourite.”

Chelsea defender Malo Gusto also expects a tough game as Brazilian teams have achieved some big results - Flamengo beat Chelsea and Botafogo upset Paris Saint Germain - and now Palmeiras lay in wait.

France international Gusto also says that Chelsea believe they can win the tournament after booking their quarter final place.

Gusto added: “We were disappointed about the result of the Flamengo but we have to look forward. Brazilian teams are very strong, they have a great desire to win.

“It’s a good trophy for every team, of course we want to win and we have a great desire to win. If you play for Chelsea you have to win and you always look to win trophies.

“I think the best team will win and there’s quite a few teams who will believe they can win the tournament. The team who wins it will be the team who prepares well together, they fight together in the moment and that’s what we have to do in the future to win this cup.”

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