Enzo Maresca Praises Joao Pedro After Impressive Full Debut

Chelsea booked their spot in the FIFA Club World Cup final with a 2-0 victory over Fluminense, thanks to a brilliant brace from João Pedro on his full debut.

Pedro capitalized on an error by Thiago Silva to curl home the opener inside 18 minutes. He struck again in the second half with a powerful finish inside the box, assisted by Enzo Fernandez.

Blues head coach Enzo Maresca did not hide his excitement over Pedro’s impact.

Maresca stated, “We knew how Joao was as a player. As a person, he is from Brazil and most of the Brazilians are happy and enjoy football. I spoke with Roberto De Zerbi time ago about him.”

The Chelsea boss also acknowledged Pedro’s strength against defensive teams.

“We know he is a good player against teams that defend deep. Another thing that is important is he was on holiday, so he was fresher than the rest. It’s important to be aware of that.”

Maresca expressed pride in reaching the final of the revamped Club World Cup.

“The best clubs in the world are here, we are proud.”

Chelsea will now wait to face the winner between Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid in Sunday’s final.

Mutakila Mukunsa July 9, 2025

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Mutakila Mukunsa is a budding journalist from Zambia with background in print, radio, and television. He started his career at the Zambia Daily Mail newspaper, where he was an intern on the sports desk. He currently works as a reporter for BolaNews and specializes in writing sports articles with a niche in football features.