Chelsea have been crowned champions of the revamped FIFA Club World Cup after defeating reigning European champions Paris Saint-Germain 3-0 at the MetLife Stadium in the United States.
The Premier League side showed their intent from the first whistle, launching a series of early attacks, with Cole Palmer narrowly missing the target inside the opening five minutes.
The breakthrough came in the 22nd minute when Palmer calmly slotted home from a Malo Gusto pass to put Enzo Maresca’s side in front.
Eight minutes later, Palmer doubled Chelsea’s lead after receiving a well-timed ball from Levi Colwill and finishing with precision.
PSG had a few opportunities of their own, the best coming from Désiré Doué, whose low strike to the bottom corner was superbly saved by goalkeeper Robert Sánchez.
Chelsea continued to dominate, and just before halftime, Palmer turned provider—setting up João Pedro, who chipped the ball past the keeper to make it 3-0 at the break.
The Blues picked up where they left off in the second half, creating more chances. Substitute Liam Delap, who replaced João Pedro, twice squandered clear opportunities to extend the lead.
PSG’s night went from bad to worse in the 85th minute when João Neves was shown a straight red card for pulling Marc Cucurella’s hair during an off-the-ball incident.
Chelsea comfortably held on to their lead, securing a clean sheet and lifting the Club World Cup for the second time in their history.
