Chelsea secures the World Cup for Europe
The English team, led by Joao Pedro, ends the dream of Brazilian Fluminense and will play the final against Real Madrid or PSG
Chelsea became the first finalist of the Club World Cup on Tuesday in the United States after defeating Brazilian Fluminense 0-2 with authority and led by Joao Pedro, ensuring that European football will be the champion of this inaugural edition.
Europe was expected to be the protagonist of the new competition, and it has proven to be so. It was already dominant in the semifinals with three out of four representatives, and it will also be present in the title match where the winner of the Conference League will face either Real Madrid or Paris Saint-Germain, after eliminating the last Brazilian team that tried to challenge the Europeans.
However, Fluminense, plagued by key absences, could not withstand the pressure from Enzo Maresca’s team and was defeated by Joao Pedro, a compatriot and former player of the club, who scored two impressive goals for the London-based team. Chelsea could have won by a larger margin as they always seemed to be a step ahead of their opponents.
Chelsea asserted their dominance from the start and gradually controlled the game, while the Brazilian team tried to defend and counterattack. Joao Pedro, in only his second match with the ‘Blues’, scored a fantastic goal inside the box, making the match even more comfortable for his team.
Malo Gusto had a chance to make it 0-2 with a header that was easily saved by Fabio, but Fluminense had an opportunity to equalize with Hercules’ shot that was cleared off the line by Marc Cucurella.
JOAO PEDRO SEALS THE DEAL ON THE COUNTER
This chance encouraged Renato Gaúcho’s team, but they were denied a penalty by VAR for a handball by Chalobah. Fluminense missed another chance to score as they struggled to control a cross in a good position to shoot past the Spanish goalkeeper. Before halftime, Chelsea had a quick transition led by Pedro Neto, but it was well defended.
After the break, Chelsea regained control of the game. Enzo Maresca’s team pushed forward, increased the pressure, and dominated with shots from outside the box, almost scoring another goal that narrowly missed the post.
Fluminense, now defending with four at the back, seized the opportunity to counterattack with Everaldo having a chance to equalize, but Robert Sánchez made a crucial save. The Brazilian team’s attempt to push forward backfired as Chelsea caught them on the counter, with Joao Pedro scoring a powerful goal to seal the victory before the hour mark.
From then on, the game lost its intensity as Fluminense lacked the firepower to mount a comeback, and their substitutions had little impact. Maresca made changes as well, giving his team more chances to score, with Christopher Nkunku almost scoring and Nico Jackson missing a clear opportunity to pass to Cole Palmer.
TECHNICAL SHEET
–RESULT: FLUMINENSE 0 – CHELSEA 2 (0-1 at halftime).
–LINEUPS:
FLUMINENSE: Fabio; Ignácio, Thiago Silva, Thiago Fuentes (Keno, min.54); Guga, Hércules (Cannobio, min.69), Bernal (Lima, min.69), René; Nonato (Soteldo, min.66); Arias and Cano (Everaldo, min.54).
CHELSEA: Robert Sánchez; Gusto (James, min.68), Chalobah, Adarabioyo, Cucurella; Palmer, Caicedo, Enzo Fernández (Santos, min.86); Nkunku (Dewsbury-Hall, min.86), Joao Pedro (Jackson, min.60) and Neto (Madueke, min.68).
–GOALS
0-1, 18th minute. Joao Pedro.
0-2, 55th minute. Joao Pedro.
–REFEREE: Francois Letexier (FRA). Yellow cards: Nonato (min.59) and Soteldo (min.72) for Fluminense, Sánchez (min.73) for Chelsea.
–STADIUM: MetLife Stadium (New Jersey).