New arrival Joao Pedro marked his full Chelsea debut in style, scoring both goals in a confident 2-0 victory over Fluminense on Tuesday to book the Blues a place in Sunday’s Club World Cup final.
The 23-year-old Brazilian struck clinically in the 18th minute at MetLife Stadium, then doubled the lead just before the hour, capping a dominant display that sends Chelsea into a final showdown against either Real Madrid or Paris Saint-Germain.
Signed from Brighton & Hove Albion last week for a reported 60 million pounds ($79 million), Pedro cut short his summer break to join the squad, making a brief appearance in the quarterfinal win over Palmeiras before earning his first start in place of the suspended Liam Delap.
Pedro refused to celebrate either goal against the club where he began his career and made 36 first-team appearances before moving to England with Watford in 2020.
The result ended Fluminense’s impressive run in the tournament. The 2023 Copa Libertadores champions had held Borussia Dortmund in the group stage, beaten Inter Milan in the round of 16 and knocked out Al-Hilal, who had eliminated Manchester City, in the quarterfinals.
With their exit went the hopes of a South American winner in the inaugural 32-team edition of the Club World Cup. Chelsea, meanwhile, posted back-to-back victories against Brazilian opposition to reach the final.
As always seemed likely, the trophy will be claimed by one of Europe’s powerhouses, with the final now guaranteed to feature two of the last five UEFA Champions League winners.
“It is a great achievement. It has been a fantastic season – top four in the league, winning the Conference League and now in the final of this competition. We are so, so happy,” Chelsea coach Enzo Maresca told broadcaster DAZN.
“Now finally it is the last game of the season, we can say that, and hopefully we can win the tournament.”
Fluminense coach Renato Portaluppi had described his team as the “ugly duckling” of the tournament due to the enormous financial gap between them and the other three remaining sides in the United States.
But this game proved a step too far for the Rio de Janeiro club, captained by 40-year-old former Chelsea center back Thiago Silva.
Caicedo returns
Chelsea were without the suspended Levi Colwill and Delap, but midfield lynchpin Moises Caicedo returned after missing the Palmeiras match in Philadelphia due to suspension.
The Premier League side were simply too strong for their opponents in a game watched by 70,556 fans on a hot afternoon just outside New York City.
They went ahead thanks to a fine strike from their new forward, who controlled the ball at the edge of the box after Silva had cleared a cross from Pedro Neto.
Pedro took a touch and curled a shot beyond veteran goalkeeper Fabio into the far corner, then raised his hands in apology toward the Fluminense fans massed behind the goal.
Fluminense were an intermittent threat. Hercules, the match-winner against Al-Hilal in the last eight, nearly equalized in the 25th minute. He played a one-two with German Cano and lifted the ball over goalkeeper Robert Sanchez, but Marc Cucurella raced back to clear off the line.
Ten minutes before halftime, Fluminense were awarded a penalty after a set-piece delivery from Renê struck the arm of Trevoh Chalobah in the box. However, French referee Francois Letexier overturned the decision following a VAR review.
Chelsea doubled their lead in the 56th minute, shortly after Fluminense removed one of their three center backs in favor of an extra attacker.
Enzo Fernandez sent Pedro through on the break, and the forward, who scored 10 Premier League goals for Brighton last season, finished emphatically off the crossbar.
Chelsea had chances to extend the lead, but Pedro’s double was enough. The only blemish came late on, when Caicedo limped off with a knock just before full time.
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