Chelsea have booked their place in the FIFA Club World Cup final following a commanding 2–0 victory over Brazilian side Fluminense in Tuesday night’s semi-final at the MetLife Stadium, New Jersey.
New signing João Pedro stole the spotlight, netting a superb brace on his full debut to fire the Blues into Sunday’s final. The 23-year-old, who joined Chelsea this month from Brighton in a deal worth up to £60 million, opened the scoring in the 18th minute with a curling effort into the top-right corner.
His second goal came early in the second half in the 56th minute, another powerful strike into the same corner, capping off a confident and clinical Chelsea performance.
Fluminense, spirited and resilient, created chances of their own, including a shot cleared off the line and a penalty shout that was waved away by VAR. However, Chelsea’s organisation and tactical discipline under new manager Enzo Maresca ensured they maintained control throughout.
Chelsea now await the winner of Wednesday’s other semi-final between Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain. The final is scheduled for Sunday, 13 July, as the Blues look to claim their second Club World Cup title.
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