- Joao Pedro scored both goals in his debut start for Chelsea
- Fluminense missed key chances and had a penalty overturned by VAR
- Chelsea will face PSG or Real Madrid in the final
Key Takeaways:
Chelsea are the first finalists of the Club World Cup. The English team secured a 2:0 win over Fluminense in East Rutherford and will battle for the trophy against either Paris Saint-Germain or Real Madrid, who face each other tomorrow. Joao Pedro had a brilliant debut as a starter for the London side. The Brazilian scored both goals (18′, 50′), thus ending the tournament journey of the club where his career began.
We’re into the @FIFACWC final! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/CLruhUanVL
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) July 8, 2025
The first good opportunity came in the 10th minute, when Caicedo found Enzo Fernandez on the penalty spot, but his shot was blocked at the last moment.
In the 18th minute, a cross from Pedro Neto was cleared, and the ball ended up at Joao Pedro’s feet. He delivered a perfect strike with his right foot, giving Fabio no chance – 1:0 Chelsea. Shortly after, Pedro Neto delivered another fine pass from the flank, and Malo Gusto joined the attack and headed the ball, but it went straight into Fabio’s arms.
In the 26th minute, Fluminense’s Cano brilliantly found a teammate one-on-one with the goalkeeper. Sanchez was late to react and the ball rolled past him, but Cucurella cleared it off the line, saving a sure goal. Ten minutes later, Trevoh Chalobah handled the ball in his own penalty area, and the referee pointed to the spot. However, after reviewing the situation on the VAR monitor, the French official saw that Chalobah’s hand was in a natural position and cancelled the penalty.
In first-half stoppage time, Christopher Nkunku headed a corner just wide of Fabio’s left post.
In the 49th minute, Moises Caicedo received the ball at the edge of the penalty area and shot over the crossbar. Shortly after, Marc Cucurella controlled a good pass from Enzo Fernandez and tried to beat the keeper with a low shot into the corner, but missed the target.
In the 56th minute, substitute Everaldo tried a long-range shot, but Sanchez was alert and made the save. Immediately after, Chelsea launched a quick counterattack, and Joao Pedro received the ball on the flank and struck a powerful shot that bounced off the crossbar and into the net – 2:0 Chelsea.
Around ten minutes later, Christopher Nkunku also had a chance to score, but Thiago Silva stopped the ball just before the goal line. In the 67th minute, Malo Gusto met a precise cross and shot at goal, but the ball flew wide of the right post.
In the 71st minute, Lima fired a thunderous volley from the edge of the box but it narrowly missed the target. In the third minute of added time, Keno could have pulled one back but his header went wide.