After sitting out Chelsea’s triumphant final Club World Cup group game, Nicolas Jackson will also be banned for the upcoming round-of-16 clash against Benfica.
The mercurial striker was sent off for a late stamp during Chelsea’s 3–1 defeat to Flamengo last week, crunching into Ayrton Lucas moments after replacing Liam Delap. The English forward started in Jackson’s absence against ES Tunis on Tuesday evening, scoring the second goal in an easy 3–0 win to book his new side’s spot in the knockout stages of this expanded competition.
Initially slapped with a single-game ban, Jackson had his punishment extended following a review from FIFA’s disciplinary committee which deemed the uncontrolled lunge“serious foul play.” Following the news of his teammate’s elongated absence, Delap was wary of falling into a disciplinary trap of his own.
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“I tried not to get a yellow card because I would be suspended for the next game,” the 22-year-old revealed after the victory against ES Tunis. “We’ve got to focus on Benfica and go there fighting to get to the next round. I came to this club to play on big stages like this.”
Delap unashamedly leans into the physical side of the game. “I love those battles,” the former Ipswich Town striker told various media outlets earlier this week. “I always have since I was a kid. I really love the aggressive side of it and the competitive nature of the sport. It’s got to be controlled at times but it’s my game ultimately.”
During the 2024–25 Premier League campaign, Delap collected five more yellow cards than Jackson (12 to seven) and committed more than twice as many fouls (72 to 35). Yet, he has so far managed to control that aggression by avoiding a single red card across his entire senior career.
By contrast, Jackson’s dismissal against Flamengo was his second red card in four appearances for Chelsea, following on from the sending off he received against Newcastle United at the end of last season. The Senegalese forward will also sit out Chelsea’s opening game of 2025–26 Premier League campaign against Crystal Palace to fully conclude his domestic ban from last term.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Nicolas Jackson’s Club World Cup Ban Extended, Liam Delap Sends Discipline Message.
