Chelsea is the first finalist of the Club World Cup

Chelsea are the first team to reach the final of the Club World Cup in the USA. The London favorites defeated Fluminense in the semifinals on Tuesday. The match winner was, of all things, a former Brazilian star.

July 08, 2025

From: apa

Chelsea prevailed 2-0 in the semifinal in East Rutherford. Chelsea's new star striker Joao Pedro was the match winner against his boyhood club from Rio de Janeiro with a stunning brace (18th, 56th). In the final on Sunday, the "Blues" will face either Paris Saint-Germain or Real Madrid. These two teams will meet on Wednesday.

In the opening stages of the first semi-final, Chelsea dominated the game. Joao Pedro's first strike came in the 18th minute: The Brazilian striker won the ball near the halfway line. Fluminense captain Thiago Silva cleared a cross from Pedro Neto, who had been substituted on, back into the feet of Joao Pedro. He slotted the ball into the far corner from a half-left position. The 44-year-old Fabio in the Fluminense goal stretched in vain.

No goal celebration for the match winner

Joao Pedro was in the starting lineup for his new club for the first time. Just last week, Chelsea had signed the 23-year-old from league rivals Brighton & Hove Albion for an initial fee of around £55 million (€64 million). Joao Pedro trained in the Fluminense youth system and moved to England at the beginning of 2020. As promised, the attacking player refrained from celebrating goals against his former club. Instead, he simply calmly raised his hands after both goals.

Joao Pedro was Chelsea's celebrated winning goal scorer. He himself refrained from celebrating. © APA/afp / CHARLY TRIBALLEAU

With a 1-0 lead behind them, however, Chelsea were by no means assured of their own. Marc Cucurella made a desperate save on the line after Hercules had chipped the ball past goalkeeper Robert Sanchez (25'). Ten minutes later, referee Francois Letexier pointed to the penalty spot after Chelsea's Trevoh Chalobah was found guilty of handball, but after reviewing the video, he overturned the penalty because he hadn't identified an unnatural hand position.

After the break, Joao Pedro took advantage of a counterattack, cut to the center, and fired a precise shot off the underside of the crossbar. Four minutes later, the match-winner was substituted to thunderous applause. Chelsea will receive a bonus of $30 million (€25,6 million) just for reaching the final. The tournament winner will receive an additional $40 million (€34,1 million). The second semi-final between Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain and record winners Real Madrid will take place on Wednesday (21 p.m.), also at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, which will also host next year's World Cup final.

Trump announced final visit

The US President will also attend the Club World Cup final in East Rutherford on Sunday. "I will go to the game," Trump told reporters on Tuesday. Trump has sought the spotlight at major sporting events several times during his second term. In February, for example, the 79-year-old became the first sitting US president to watch the Super Bowl live in the stadium in New Orleans.