Nicolas Jackson apologised after his costly sending-off in Chelsea’s Club World Cup implosion against Flamengo.
The Senegal striker was shown a straight red card – just four minutes after coming off the bench – for an aggressive studs-up challenge on Ayrton Lucas in Friday’s 3-1 defeat in Philadelphia.
It came amid a calamitous six-minute spell in the second period in which the Blues also conceded two goals to surrender their half-time lead.
It was also Jackson’s second dismissal in just four appearances having also been given his marching orders for a forearm crack on Newcastle’s Sven Botman in a Premier League match last month.
“I want to say sorry,” Jackson wrote on Instagram on what was a 24th birthday to forget. “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.”
Jackson’s moment of madness, in which he forcefully caught Lucas on the shin, effectively ended Chelsea’s hopes of getting back into the Group D contest at Lincoln Financial Field.
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Enzo Maresca’s side were already reeling after Pedro Neto’s well-taken 14th-minute opener was cancelled out by Bruno Henrique after 62 minutes and quickly followed by another goal for veteran Danilo.
Wallace Yan wrapped up the scoring seven minutes from time, putting Flamengo in charge of the group and potentially making Chelsea’s route through the tournament complicated.
Defender Marc Cucurella suggested discipline was an area Jackson needed to work on.
The defender told DAZN: “He is young player, he has a lot of quality, he maybe needs to improve this a little bit. We are here to improve, we are not perfect so it is part of the game.”
Maresca did not deny the sending-off was damaging, though he tempered criticism by claiming it was not a clear-cut decision.
Maresca said: “Those six minutes completely changed the dynamic of the game.
“I’m not 100 per cent sure that it’s a red card compared to the Newcastle one, but it can be and the referee decided it.
“It’s a little bit of a bad moment for Nico in these things. He knows very well that both situations were not something good for the team.”
Former Chelsea defender Filipe Luis, now the manager of Flamengo, backed Jackson to bounce back.
“It was a little mistake,” he said. “It was a clear red for me but it is a small detail for a player who can be one of the biggest strikers in the world.”
Chelsea, who now have three points from their opening two games, face ES Tunis in their final group game on Tuesday night (2am Wednesday BST).
