'Not a bad return' - Tosin reflects on fifth goal of the season after captaining Chelsea in CWC

Tosin Adarabioyo expressed his delight after scoring his fifth goal of the season during Chelsea’s 3-0 victory over Esperance in the FIFA Club World Cup group stage, hailing both the performance and the team’s resilience under testing conditions in Philadelphia.

Enzo Fernández passed the Chelsea captain's armband to the central defender upon being substituted in the 68th minute.

The 27-year-old rose highest to glance home a well-delivered Enzo Fernandez free-kick just before half-time, setting Chelsea on course for the win that confirmed their place in the tournament’s last-16.

Speaking to the club’s official website, Tosin said: “I was happy to score my first goal for a while. That’s five goals for the season now which isn’t a bad return. 

"I definitely work on contributing offensively. You look at the best centre-halves in the world and they make a difference in both boxes.”

Having last scored in January against Wolves, Tosin's well-timed effort ended a long wait and provided Chelsea with the breakthrough they needed in a game played under intense heat, even late at night.

"We knew it was going to be a tough game so to get a clean sheet and go through, it’s a good win,” he said. 

"We kept on pushing in added time, and it was nice to get the goals."

With the Blues now set to face Group C winners Benfica in Charlotte, he acknowledged the scale of the upcoming challenge.

"They are a good side, they deserved to go through,” he said. 

"We know it’s going to be a really tough game so we will get ready for that now. We have to recover, switch our focus to Benfica, and we look forward to that game."

Chelsea will take on Benfica in the Club World Cup Round of 16 on Saturday.

Wale Adejumo

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