- Chelsea won the inaugural expanded Club World Cup by beating PSG 3:0
- Cole Palmer scored twice and assisted once in the first half
- Joao Neves was sent off for PSG after pulling Cucurella’s hair
Key Takeaways:
Chelsea crushed Paris Saint-Germain 3:0 to win the first edition of the expanded Club World Cup in the USA. The English side produced a flawless first half, with Cole Palmer (22’, 30’) scoring twice and then assisting his new teammate Joao Pedro (43’) for the third. The match for the trophy was played at the MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, which will also host the 2026 World Cup final in a year’s time.
CHAMPIONS OF THE WORLD. pic.twitter.com/wWUEoi25Ov
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) July 13, 2025
With this victory, Chelsea secured their 11th international trophy, including a second Club World Cup title, having previously won it five years ago. PSG, on the other hand, looked nothing like themselves and gave no indication of the dominance they had shown earlier. The French side had one excellent chance while the score was still 0:0. In the closing minutes, Joao Neves was sent off with a red card for pulling Marc Cucurella’s hair.
Chelsea started better and were the more aggressive team. In the 8th minute, Cole Palmer was inches away from scoring the opener. Immediately after, PSG regained composure and in the 16th minute wasted a golden opportunity. Desire Doue chose to pass to Hakimi instead of shooting, but Cucurella intercepted the ball. Two minutes later, Doue shot dangerously, but this time goalkeeper Robert Sanchez made the save.
In the 22nd minute, Chelsea took the lead after a goal by Palmer. The English international finished off a move that started from a mistake by Nuno Mendes.
Maresca’s players then dropped deeper again and soon after erupted once more with a second goal in the 30th minute. Once again, Palmer was on target in a similar fashion to eight minutes earlier.
The pattern continued – PSG pressure and excellent defensive organisation from Chelsea. That led to the third goal, with Palmer again playing a key role. In the 43rd minute, he set up Joao Pedro, who chipped the ball in for 3:0. In the remaining minutes before the break, the French side responded with a header by Joao Neves, saved by Sanchez.
The Champions League winners began the second half relatively strong, and in the 51st minute, Dembele missed a great opportunity after Sanchez made the save. There were suspicions of offside in that situation.
Soon, however, it became evident that the PSG players lacked the energy to mount any real pressure. In the 68th minute, they nearly conceded a fourth goal when substitute Liam Delap shot, but Donnarumma parried it away. In the 80th minute, Delap again went one-on-one with the goalkeeper, but the Italian intervened decisively once more.
The French side had given up, and the embodiment of that came in the 85th minute when Neves was shown a red card for pulling Cucurella’s hair. At the final whistle, a scuffle broke out between both teams, involving the coaches and other officials. PSG manager Luis Enrique even lashed out at Joao Pedro.