By Samuel A. June 21, 2025
Chelsea’s Nicolas Jackson was shown a straight red card for a studs up challenge on Ayrton Lucas, just four minutes after coming on as a substitute for new signing Liam Delap in Philadelphia, as Chelsea collapsed to a 3-1 loss at the Club World Cup from a 1-0 lead.
The Blues looked to be on track for a second win at the competition after Pedro Neto’s breakaway opener in the first half, but poor defending, mostly in the second half, saw them collapse and concede twice in three minutes, with Jackson’s moment of madness following moments later.
Wallace Yan’s late goal sealed the victory for Flamengo but Jackson’s sending off, on his 24th birthday, and only six weeks after he saw red for an elbow on Newcastle defender Sven Botman in the Premier League, was the dominant talking point.
Former Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel labelled Nicolas Jackson’s sending off a “stupid mistake” and said his old club lacked leaders.
Speaking on DAZN post match, Mikel, who won 11 trophies in an 11 year spell at Chelsea, said of Jackson’s red card: “Unbelievable. Stupid, stupid, stupid mistake.
“I don’t know what’s going through his head. You come into the game, you’re 2-1 down, your team needs you, and you do that. He did it in the important Premier League game against Newcastle, when we needed to win to qualify for the Champions League places, and he has done it again. You can’t keep making mistakes”, he said.
“I don’t care what his frustration is,” added Mikel. “Chelsea is a massive football club and it’s about competition. If you are angry, if you are p****d off that Delap is coming to the club and he is going to be your competition, you have to embrace it. If you are a big player, you embrace it. Jackson needs to have a look at himself and think where he wants his Chelsea career to go from here. The manager has brought in a striker, so now if the manager starts to doubt him, if he keeps making mistakes and letting his teammates and the club down, then it is time for Delap to start the games. The manager has a decision to make now.”
Maresca wouldn’t be drawn on Jackson’s sending off in his post-match interview. “It was a red card, so nothing to say,” he said.
But Chelsea defender Marc Cucurella defended his teammate, saying he will learn from it. “It is a bit of bad luck,” said Cucurella.
“He tried to put his foot in to kick the ball but he kicked the player’s leg. That’s it. We now miss him for the next game. He is a young player with a lot of quality and maybe he needs to improve this. We are not perfect, it’s part of the game.”
Jackson himself apologised on social media, writing: “I want to say sorry. To the club, the staff, my teammates, and all the fans watching, I let you down. Another red card… And honestly, I’m so angry at myself. I work hard every day to help the team not to put us in this kind of situation. I still don’t fully understand how it happened. But one thing is clear: it wasn’t intentional. Just a moment in football that went the wrong way.
No excuses. I take full responsibility. I’ll reflect, I’ll grow, and I’ll come back stronger for the badge and for everyone who believes in me”.
“Sorry. Sorry, Sorry.”
