New signing Joao Pedro made an immediate impact with a brace on his full debut as Chelsea defeated Fluminense 2–0 on Tuesday to book their place in the final of the Club World Cup.
The Brazilian forward opened the scoring in the 18th minute at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey and added a second just before the hour mark, sealing Chelsea’s place in Sunday’s final against either Real Madrid or Paris Saint-Germain.
Signed from Brighton & Hove Albion last week for a reported £60 million ($79 million), the 23-year-old had cut short his off-season break to join up with the team. After making his debut off the bench in the quarter-final win over Palmeiras, he was handed a starting role in place of the suspended Liam Delap.
Pedro, who began his professional career with Fluminense, declined to celebrate either goal against his former club, raising his hands apologetically toward the Fluminense supporters behind the goal.
The defeat ended Fluminense’s impressive run in the competition. The 2023 Copa Libertadores champions had held Borussia Dortmund in the group stage, eliminated Inter Milan in the last 16, and knocked out Al-Hilal — the side that had earlier stunned Manchester City — in the quarter-finals.
With Fluminense’s exit, hopes of a South American winner in the inaugural 32-team edition of the Club World Cup were extinguished. Chelsea, meanwhile, secured back-to-back wins over Brazilian opposition en route to the final.
As expected, the trophy will now go to one of Europe’s elite, with Sunday’s final set to feature two of the past five UEFA Champions League winners.
Fluminense manager Renato Portaluppi had likened his side to the “ugly duckling” of the competition due to the financial disparity between his squad and the remaining European powerhouses. Ultimately, this proved to be a hurdle too high for the Rio de Janeiro side, who were captained by 40-year-old former Chelsea defender Thiago Silva.
Caicedo returns, Chelsea dominate
Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca was without suspended pair Levi Colwill and Liam Delap, but welcomed back midfield anchor Moisés Caicedo, who had missed the previous game due to suspension.
Watched by over 70,000 fans on a hot afternoon just outside New York City, Chelsea looked the stronger side from the outset. Joao Pedro’s opener came after he latched onto a Pedro Neto cross that had been partially cleared by Thiago Silva. Controlling the ball on the edge of the area, he curled a beautiful shot into the far corner past veteran goalkeeper Fabio.
Fluminense threatened intermittently. In the 25th minute, Hércules — the hero of their previous match — nearly equalised after combining with Germán Cano and lobbing Robert Sánchez, only for Marc Cucurella to make a crucial goal-line clearance.
Ten minutes before the break, Fluminense were briefly awarded a penalty after a René set-piece appeared to strike Trevoh Chalobah’s arm in the area, but the decision was overturned following a VAR review.
Chelsea doubled their lead in the 56th minute. Just moments after Fluminense had altered their shape to push for an equaliser, Enzo Fernández released Joao Pedro on a counterattack. The Brazilian surged forward and fired a precise shot in off the crossbar — his second goal of the game and his third in two appearances for Chelsea.
The Premier League side had further chances to extend their lead but were ultimately satisfied with a clinical, professional performance as they now turn their focus to Sunday’s final.
AFP
