Cole Palmer Shines With a Brace and Assist As Blues Clinch World Title.
Chelsea produced a clinical and commanding display to defeat Paris Saint-Germain 3-0 and win the FIFA Club World Cup final at MetLife Stadium, New Jersey. Cole Palmer starred with a brilliant brace and an assist. The Blues lifted the inaugural trophy of the expanded 32-team tournament.
With that, they also pocketed an estimated £111m in prize money. It was a night when Chelsea executed their game plan to perfection against a PSG side that looked almost invincible. PSG, winners of four major trophies last season, arrived as favourites in the final.
Especially after demolishing Real Madrid in the semi-finals. However, Enzo Maresca’s side struck with ruthless efficiency. Palmer, Chelsea’s breakout star, broke the deadlock on 30 minutes after Malo Gusto’s determined run and cut-back.
The 23-year-old opened his body and curled a sublime left-footed finish past Gianluigi Donnarumma. Eight minutes later, Palmer repeated the same trick and fooled Donnarumma again. He sold Vitinha with a dummy. He then bent the ball into the same corner for a near-identical second goal.
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Palmer wasn’t done yet. Just before half-time, he carried the ball deep into PSG territory and slipped a perfectly weighted pass to the Blues’ new signing Joao Pedro. The Brazilian came fresh off a brace against Fluminense in the semi-finals.
With a calm assist from Palmer, Pedro coolly chipped Donnarumma to make it 3-0. Chelsea became the first team in over three years to lead PSG by three goals at the break. Despite enjoying 66% possession in the first half, PSG struggled to break down Chelsea’s disciplined defense.
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Undeniably, along with Palmer, Robert Sanchez was another star of Chelsea’s show. He produced several fine saves to deny Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Ousmane Dembele, and Fabian Ruiz. Joao Neves’ late red card for pulling Marc Cucurella’s hair summed up PSG’s night of frustration.
The second half saw Chelsea sit deeper, keeping possession when possible and soaking up PSG’s pressure. Substitute Liam Delap nearly added a fourth. However, Donnarumma’s saves spared further embarrassment for the Parisians. The trophy marks a brilliant finish to Chelsea’s season.
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