Chelsea finished second in the group behind Brazilian side Flamengo,has proved to be a blessing in disguise.
The blues second place in their group now face Bruno Lage's Benfica, who topped their group after defeating Bayern Munich in the ' round of 16.
Though Benifica are a brilliant footballing side where veteran Angel Di Maria is having a stellar tournament, they seems to be a better option for Chelsea at this point.
Should th Blues somehow manage to progress against Bennifica, they will face the winner of the all-Brazilian clash between Botafogo and Palmeiras in the quarter-finals. Had the blues side finished top of their group, they would have been battling Bayern in the round of 16. Flamengo, who defeated Chelsea will now playb against the German giants in the round of 16 which had also seems to be a blessing to German too in disguise.
Fans were furious at chesea performance at the competition expecting the blues to top their group but the loss to Flamengo raises concern on their chances of progressing.
How ever it all done out to be a blessing in disguise. As it stands chelsea has avoided meeting the likes of Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, PSG except in the final . There appears to be a promising pathway forward for Chelsea, but whether they can capitalize on it remains to be seen.