João Pedro, in his first start for Chelsea, scored twice against his former club, Fluminense, securing a 2-0 victory and a place in the Club World Cup final. The match took place at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
The 23-year-old Brazilian forward, who recently joined Chelsea from Brighton & Hove Albion for a reported £60 million, opened the scoring in the 18th minute with a stunning strike. He curled a 20-yard shot into the far corner of the net. Out of respect for Fluminense, where he spent his formative years, he refrained from celebrating.
Chelsea dominated possession early on, creating several half-chances. Marc Cucurella had an early header saved, and Enzo Fernandez saw a shot blocked. Chelsea's dominance paid off when João Pedro scored the first goal. The Blues harassed the Fluminense defenders and won the ball in midfield. German Cano lost the ball to João Pedro, who passed to Pedro Neto. Neto dribbled down the flank and crossed, and after an attempted clearance, the ball found its way back to João Pedro, who scored.
João Pedro sealed the victory with his second goal in the 56th minute. After Facundo Bernal lost the ball, Pedro Neto passed to Cole Palmer. Palmer beat three defenders and passed to Enzo Fernández, who then set up João Pedro. The Brazilian forward cut around Ignácio and fired the ball in off the underside of the crossbar.
Fluminense, who had been the surprise package of the Club World Cup, struggled to break down Chelsea's defense. They adopted a conservative approach with a deep defensive line, inviting Chelsea to attack. However, they were unable to find a way through. Fluminense were initially awarded a penalty in the first half, but it was overturned after a video review. Hércules had a shot cleared off the line by Marc Cucurella in the 27th minute.
Chelsea will now face either Paris Saint-Germain or Real Madrid in the final. The final will be held on Sunday at the MetLife Stadium. This will be Chelsea's third appearance in the Club World Cup final.
The match was played in challenging conditions, with temperatures soaring to 93 degrees Fahrenheit (34 Celsius) and high humidity. A crowd of 70,556 attended the game.
Enzo Maresca, the Chelsea manager, praised João Pedro's performance and the team's overall display. He highlighted João Pedro's technical ability and link-up play. Maresca also acknowledged the difficulty of the match and expressed his pride in the players' performance.
Chelsea made three changes to their starting lineup for the game. Tosin Adarabioyo replaced the suspended Levi Colwill in defense, Moises Caicedo replaced Andrey Santos in midfield, and Joao Pedro made his first start in place of the suspended Liam Delap. Unfortunately, Caicedo sustained a leg injury in stoppage time.
