Liam Delap scored his first Chelsea goal in a 3-0 win over Tunisian champions Esperance on Tuesday, which took the Blues through to the last 16 of the Club World Cup.
A game played in sweaty conditions at the end of a blisteringly hot day in Philadelphia never really came to life and was decided by two goals scored in first-half stoppage time by Tosin Adarabioyo and then Delap.
Tyrique George added the third in injury time at the end of the game and the victory, achieved in front of 32 937 fans at Lincoln Financial Field, allowed Enzo Maresca's side to bounce back from a 3-1 loss to Flamengo last Friday.
Chelsea therefore clinched second place in Group D behind the Brazilian giants while Esperance are eliminated.
Chelsea will now travel south to Charlotte in North Carolina to face Benfica on Saturday, with the Portuguese club having earlier beaten Bayern Munich to top Group C.
That will be a first meeting of the clubs since Chelsea beat Benfica in the 2013 Europa League final, and the winner of that tie will play either Palmeiras or Botafogo of Brazil in the last eight.
Chelsea only needed a draw to advance and Maresca felt comfortable enough to make eight changes to his starting line-up following the Flamengo defeat.
Delap, Enzo Fernandez and Malo Gusto were the only players to keep their places while Josh Acheampong was among the lesser-seen faces to get a chance.
The 19-year-old right-back, making his 10th start in all competitions this season, came close with a shot saved low down by Esperance goalkeeper Bechir Ben Said on 36 minutes.
Fernandez then shot wide from the edge of the box as Chelsea controlled the first half without overly troubling the Tunisian defence until the third minute of stoppage time.
That was when Fernandez floated a free-kick into the area and Adarabioyo, up from the back, scored with a header into the bottom corner.
Esperance needed to win the game and their hopes were as good as over as Chelsea scored again two minutes later.
Fernandez, formerly of Benfica, was again the provider as he fed Delap, and the new signing from Ipswich Town controlled with his back to goal, turned and slotted a low shot into the net to get off the mark in his new colours.
With temperatures still hovering close to 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit) late into the evening, conditions remained far from easy for the two sides.
Both teams made changes, with defender Mamadou Sarr and Brazilian midfielder Andrey Santos getting their first Chelsea minutes since joining from Strasbourg.
Chelsea thought they had a penalty 15 minutes from time when the referee pointed to the spot as a Santos shot brushed the hand of Yassine Meriah – but the award was overturned following a long VAR check.
A third goal did finally arrive deep in injury time at the end of the game as George, another substitute, found the net with a shot that the goalkeeper should have kept out.
Benfica beat Bayern Munich 1-0 in searing heat at the Club World Cup on Tuesday to progress to the last 16 as group winners, while minnows Auckland City claimed a memorable draw against Boca Juniors.
BENFICA BEAT BAYERN AS AUCKLAND CITY HOLD BOCA
Andreas Schjelderup scored the only goal of the Group C clash for Benfica in front of 33 287 fans in Charlotte, finishing first-time from a cutback by his fellow Norwegian Fredrik Aursnes in the 13th minute.
The German champions, who left the likes of Harry Kane and Michael Olise on the bench at kick-off, were unable to come back in sweltering afternoon conditions in heatwave-hit North Carolina.
Kane and Olise came on at halftime and Bayern did then look more dangerous, but Leroy Sane was denied when clean through by Benfica's Ukrainian goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin.
A draw would have allowed Bayern to top the section but a Kimmich effort that found the net was ruled out for offside and Trubin denied Sane again while Kane mistimed a header from close range late on.
It was Benfica's first ever win in 14 competitive meetings with the Bavarian side and it means they finish first in the group and so will play the Group D runners-up – either Chelsea or Esperance – in Charlotte in the last 16 on Saturday.
"I think this was a very fair and important win, historic really," said Benfica coach Bruno Lage.
"We were as straightforward and assertive as we should be and I think we were very effective in delivering our strategy today."
Bayern finished second and so will go to Miami on Sunday to take on Brazilian giants Flamengo, with a potential quarterfinal against European champions Paris Saint-Germain awaiting.
"You could see that it was really tough conditions so respect to both teams for that," said Bayern coach Vincent Kompany.
"Our first half was not good enough for sure, the second half was definitely more the level that we expected and good enough to score one or two or three goals."
ANOTHER WEATHER DELAY
That result meant whatever Boca did against Auckland City in Nashville would not be enough to qualify, but the Argentine giants were still expected to do better than draw 1-1 against the tournament minnows from New Zealand.
Auckland had lost 10-0 to Bayern and 6-0 to Benfica but this time they recovered from falling behind in the first half when goalkeeper Nathan Garrow palmed a Lautaro Di Lollo header into his own net.
Christian Gray equalised with a header in the second half to earn the sole representatives from Oceania a remarkable point.
"You can't say we haven't learned from the experience of being at the tournament, I'm thrilled for the players and the club, it's wonderful. It's something to go home with," said City coach Paul Posa.
Posa said it was a great result for football in Oceania.
"I think it's restored a little bit of pride, a little bit of reputation for us," he added.
"We're a tiny club with a huge heart and that's evident for all to see."