Lightning quick Chelsea made short work of Champions League winners PSG in the inaugural Club World Cup final on Sunday, July 13. Enzo Maresca’s team showed no signs of nerves against Luis Enrique’s team as they scored three back-to-back goals in the first half itself.
Ice cold (Cole) Palmer scored a brace in the first 30 minutes of the match to throw PSG off their balance early in the game. Palmer’s exceptional vision and ability to stay one step ahead in the game was in full show, as he slotted in two neat finishes in the low left corner against Donnarumma, giving Chelsea a stunning start to the game.
Palmer iced the game by halftime, capping his show with an assist to forward Joao Pedro in the 42nd minute of the game. The third goal of the first half was truly the cherry on the cake for young Palmer, who showed his reading of space to slot in a neat pass for the Brazilian forward, who joined the club just before the tournament.
Club World Cup Final: As it Happened
CHELSEA PRESS SUFFOCATES PSG
Under the blazing 30 degree Celcius sun in New Jersey, Chelsea came out searing, their tempo as unforgiving as the heat. From the first whistle, PSG were suffocated by a whirlwind of blue shirts.
This unrelenting press dragged Nuno Mendes inside from the left, opening acres of space down PSG’s flank, space that Cole Palmer and Reece James exploited mercilessly.
James had warned PSG before the match that they knew how to exploit the Champions League winners, and stayed true to his word, playing an instrumental role in creating space through his right flank.
James laid off the ball to Palmer for the first goal of the match (22nd minute). Growing in confidence after his first goal, Palmer took matters into his own hands and slotted in another finish, 8 minutes later.
PSG, perhaps banking on the heat sapping Chelsea’s intensity, were blindsided. The Londoners only turned up the heat, both metaphorically and literally. Not only did they halt PSG’s attacks, but they responded with three devastating goals of their own.
PSG’s best chances came through their right side as well, when young Desire Doue cut in from the right. However, in a moment of madness, he passed the ball to Fabian Ruiz despite having just Robert Sanchez to beat in the goal. The move went in vain as Marc Cucurella desperately stuck out a foot, deflecting the pass out of the danger area.
PSG BETTER IN SECOND HALF
The Parisian side, which has dominated European football in the last season, came up with much better energy in the second half. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Ousmane Dembl and Dou came together to put in some shots from mid-range.
Robert Sanchez was brought into action on a couple of occasions and kept Chelsea safe with diving efforts.
The game petered out after the 60th minute with both coaches making changes to their sides. The substitutions were not aggressive in nature, but aimed to test the strength that they had on the bench and to add freshness to the pitch, after what had been testing conditions in the USA.
Chelsea’s new signing Liam Delap was the only substitute who left a mark in the game, forcing a couple of exceptional saves from Donnarumma, who had to put everything in to stop Delap’s mid-range shot, headed into the top left corner.
RED CARD AND THEN BRAWL
The match would have finished without further incident, however, PSG’s Joao Neves lost his cool, yanking Cucurella’s hair in the 85th minute in a moment of pure frustration. VAR intervened, and the referee showed him a straight red after checking the pitchside monitor.
After the final whistle of the game, more drama unfolded as Luis Enrique and Donnaruma engaged in brawl with few of the Chelsea players. Donnaruma shoved Joao Pedro, leaving a bad taste in the mouth.
Chelsea manager Marresca intervened and pulled his fellow Italian away, ending what could have been an unnecessary fight at the end of a difficult season for all football players across the world.
With the final of the FIFA Club World Cup, a busy season comes to an end. The teams involved in the competition will now take some time off before returning to professional football once again.
– Ends
