Chelsea have secured the FIFA Club World Cup trophy, delivering a dominant performance to defeat European champions Paris Saint-Germain 3-0 in the final held at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. The victory saw the London club assert control early in the match, with President Donald Trump among those watching from the stands.
Despite being heavy favourites, PSG found themselves three goals down within 43 minutes of the encounter. Chelsea’s talisman, Cole Palmer, opened the scoring with two almost identical finishes in the 22nd and 30th minutes, giving the West London side a two-goal cushion. Palmer then provided a neat pass for Brazilian forward Joao Pedro, who deftly lifted the ball over PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma just before half-time to extend Chelsea’s lead to three. The match later saw PSG’s midfielder Joao Neves sent off in the 85th minute for pulling Chelsea defender Marc Cucurella’s hair.
PSG emerged strongly in the second half, with Ousmane Dembele nearly narrowing the deficit in the 53rd minute, but his six-yard shot was well-saved by Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez, who maintained a strong performance throughout the match. Pedro received a standing ovation as he was substituted in the 67th minute, with his replacement, Liam Delap, almost scoring with his first touches. Following the final whistle, a large altercation involving players from both sides erupted on the pitch, with PSG coach Luis Enrique appearing to confront Chelsea players. The pre-match entertainment, which included a performance by Robbie Williams and a US Air Force flyover, caused a delay to kick-off, while a half-time musical medley featuring J Balvin, Doja Cat, Tems, and Chris Martin from Coldplay entertained the crowd in the 82,500-seater stadium.
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