Having progressed through a demanding tournament, overcoming challenging conditions and high-quality opponents – none more dramatic than our 4-1 victory over Benfica in the last round – Chelsea now stand on the brink of another major step towards silverware.

For Dewsbury-Hall, this tournament has offered not only a chance to compete on a global stage but also an opportunity to grow both on and off the pitch, and the midfielder is relishing the prospect of another big test against the Brazilian giants.

‘It’s exciting,’ Dewsbury-Hall opened. ‘We’re going back to where we were based at the start of the tournament [in Philadelphia], and we’re in the knockouts. Every game is a must-win and the lads are motivated.

‘You should go into every game wanting to win and whether you’re in the group stage or the knockout stage, it’s the same feeling. Obviously, the further you go, the closer you are to getting to the final. The feeling in the camp is to take it game by game and then, before you know it, we could be in a great position.’

Looking back on that dramatic Round of 16 win with Benfica in Charlotte, Dewsbury-Hall was delighted to contribute by scoring our fourth goal in a truly unique match, which was halted for more than to hours due to a storm in Charlotte.

‘It was the first time I have ever started a game at 4pm and finished it at 9pm!’ Kiernan laughed. ‘It was crazy, a really weird situation. But it felt nice that even though we were waiting in the changing room for two hours, we came out and eventually got the job done.'

The 26-year-old has enjoyed getting to grips with the Club World Cup and is thankful to be able to showcase his ability on the grand stage.

He continued: ‘It’s been a different experience and you have to be grateful because not everyone gets to play in these sorts of tournaments.

'It’s a little strange when you see players from other teams back for pre-season and we’re still playing the previous season, but it’s something that you have to take as a privilege because not everyone gets to play in something like this.’

That gratitude is aided by the camaraderie within the squad, which has grown even stronger throughout their time together Stateside.

He said: ‘It brings everyone closer together and the new lads that have come in have been able to settle in a lot quicker. It’s a nice environment and we’ve got a nice dressing room. Everyone mingles, we go out and do things – shopping, food, beach. So it’s been good.’

As for our next challenge against Palmeiras, Dewsbury-Hall is under no illusions about the difficulty of the task, having already played another Brazilian side in the form of Flamengo earlier in the competition.

‘Nobody is overlooking Palmeiras and we have seen South American teams in this tournament have been really strong,’ he added. ‘It’s a challenge I’m looking forward to, and the lads are also looking forward to. So we will make sure we’re all ready for it.’