PHILADELPHIA — Chelsea striker Nicolas Jackson apologised to his teammates and the club’s fans after picking up his second red card in four matches as the Blues lost 3-1 to Flamengo at the Club World Cup.
Pedro Neto gave Maresca’s side a 13th-minute lead in Philadelphia but six second-half minutes changed the game as Bruno Henrique equalised before Danilo put the Brazilian side in front.
Jackson, on moments earlier as a substitute, then lunged in on Ayrton Lucas to earn a straight red card before Wallace Yan added a late third.
“I want to say sorry. To the club, the staff, my teammates, and all the fans watching, I let you down,” Jackson wrote on Instagram.
“Another red card … and honestly, I’m so angry at myself. I work very 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 football moment 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.”
Flamengo are now top of Group D and in pole position to secure first place while Chelsea face Esperance Sportive de Tunis on Wednesday without Jackson, who will serve a minimum one-game suspension.
He could be banned for longer if FIFA choose to review the incident.
Jackson was also sent off against Newcastle last month for a similarly reckless challenge and Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca said: “It happened against Newcastle and it happened today. Probably today I am not 100 percent sure it’s a red card compared to the Newcastle one. So it’s a little bit of a bad moment for Nico in this kind of things. Unfortunately now he will be out for a while, the time that we are here.
Maresca rejected the suggestion that Jackson’s disciplinary issues were linked to the long-trailed arrival of fellow striker Liam Delap — a £30 million summer signing from Ipswich Town — which provides fresh competition for his position.
“The red card had nothing to do with Nico’s future,” said Maresca. “He had the first one against Newcastle when Liam was not even here and another one today. Nico knows very well that in both situations it was not something good for the team.
“Six minutes changed the game. In the second half, we started better compared to the first half. But we conceded two goals in two minutes and then the red card. It changed the dynamic. They deserved to win.”
Chelsea defender Marc Cucurella warned Jackson he has to address his behaviour.
“He’s very sad,” said Cucurella. “He tried to win the ball, had the bad luck that he kicked his leg and that’s it. He’s a young player with a lot of quality but maybe needs to improve a little bit in these things.
“But he has to learn. After the manager spoke, he said sorry, he didn’t do it on purpose. He’s a very important player for us, we miss him the next game but this is football.”
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