Joao Pedro scored two brilliant goals as Chelsea secured their place in the Club World Cup final with victory over Fluminense.
The Brazilian, who started his career with Fluminense before moving to Britain, scored with a brilliant finish from outside the area in the first half and then calmed his celebration against his former club. That finish was followed by a thumping second-half goal to secure a final against Real Madrid or Paris Saint-Germain.
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Fluminense were unlucky in the first half as Marc Cucurella made a goalline clearance to keep Chelsea’s lead intact, before Fluminense felt they should have had a penalty when the ball struck Trevoh Chalobah’s hand. Though the referee initially awarded the spot kick, after viewing the monitor, the decision was overturned.
Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain meet in the other semi-final on Wednesday.
Here, Oliver Kay, Mark Carey and Anantaajith Raghuraman break down the action.
What does making the final mean to Chelsea?
It has not been easy to gauge the weight of individual results in this tournament, but for Chelsea, reaching the Club World Cup final represents an unqualified success — not least financially, with their prize money from the tournament now reaching $104million (£76.5m).
They have improved as the competition has gone on. Two-and-a-half weeks after what felt like a chaotic defeat by Flamengo in Philadelphia, they proved far too strong for Fluminense, the quality of new signing Joao Pedro proving decisive.
The Club World Cup might not have captured the imagination back home, but for Chelsea, the tournament has been an uplifting experience. Enzo Maresca and his players have embraced it and have shown different qualities when faced with different styles of football, particularly in the victories over Palmeiras and Fluminense.
In the end, finishing second to Flamengo in Group D worked in Chelsea’s favour given it put them on what looked like the gentler side of the knockout bracket. A much stiffer examination awaits in Sunday’s final here at MetLife Stadium, regardless of whether Paris Saint-Germain or Real Madrid win tomorrow’s semi-final, but right now, Chelsea see only benefits from playing in this competition.
One concern for Chelsea was the sight of Moises Caicedo limping off in stoppage time after appearing to twist his ankle. The Ecuador midfielder initially tried to continue playing after having treatment, but he ended up leaving the pitch early and was seen with an ice pack on his ankle after the final whistle.
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In his post-match news conference, Enzo Maresca suggested it did not look too serious. “Moi twisted his ankle,” the Chelsea coach said. “When it happened, I told him we could play with 10 men and it was important not to get worse. He felt he could try. Hopefully he will be fit for Sunday. We will see.”
Dario Essugo, the Portugal under-21 midfielder who arrived from Sporting last month, is expected to miss the final after what Maresca described as a muscle injury. “He will probably be ready for the new season,” the coach said.
Oliver Kay
Joao Pedro: Immediate impact
It was an obvious narrative to keep an eye on.
After an impressive cameo against Palmeiras in his first appearance for Chelsea, Joao Pedro was rewarded with his first start for Enzo Maresca’s side, leading the line ahead of Nicolas Jackson, with Liam Delap unable to play through suspension. Having only joined the club a matter of days ago in a deal in excess of £50m, Joao Pedro was thrust into the action sooner than many might have expected.
He could hardly have asked for a better starting debut, with a sumptuous finish to give Chelsea the lead after 17 minutes.
After some tenacious work down the left side, Pedro Neto’s cross was cleared by Thiago Silva, falling perfectly to the 23-year-old. With two excellent touches to get the ball out of his feet, his beautiful effort curled into the far corner to nestle into the side of the net. A first goal for his new club, scored against his former club.
You thought that was good? Joao Pedro thought it a good idea to play “goal of the tournament” with himself, following up his first strike with an emphatic finish during a Chelsea counter-attack — cutting inside from the left channel to thump the ball in off the crossbar and put Chelsea out of sight.
“I think Joao can play in all the attacking positions for us,” Maresca said ahead of the game.
“He can play wide, he can play side to pitch, he can play as a line. The difference with Nico is just that I see Nico just as a No 9, while I see Joao in different positions.
Joao Pedro’s all-round game was equally impressive — occasionally coming short to link the play but also going long when the game needed to be stretched. There were even some flicks in the first half as he was keen to showcase his skills to his new fans.
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They didn’t all come off, but it showed how much confidence was oozing out of the Brazil international. A crucial defensive header at the back post showed that Joao Pedro was also willing to engage in the gritty, agricultural side of the game for his team.
Sixty minutes was all he needed and he was replaced by Jackson, but if he can maintain those performances consistently next season, Maresca will unequivocally find a place for him in the team, wherever that may be on the pitch.
Mark Carey
Should Fluminense have had a penalty?
Fluminense were convinced they should have had a penalty in the 34th minute. The sudden uproar around the Metlife Stadium suggested their fans did, too.
Joao Pedro lunged at Ignacio to give away a free kick on Fluminense’s left flank. Rene whipped a cross in that was ever so slightly flicked on by Thiago Santos and struck Trevoh Chalobah’s hand.
Referee Francois Letexier immediately pointed to the spot amid frantic Fluminense appeals. But 45 seconds later, following a conversation on his earpiece and amid protests from Chelsea, Letexier jogged over to the pitchside monitor on the other side to take a look for himself.
Chalobah’s hand was by his side as the ball struck it.
While these have been given as penalties before, Letexier announced, “After review, handball committed by No 23, the hand is in a normal, natural position. This is not punishable… No penalty” — to Fluminense’s despair and Chelsea’s relief.
Handballs such as these can go either way and Maresca’s side notably had a similar penalty denied in their group-phase win over Esperance de Tunis.
Anantaajith Raghuraman
Brazilian sides bow out, but will anything change?
Brazil’s four-pronged mission to win the Club World Cup is over: Botafogo and Flamengo knocked out in the round of 16 by Palmeiras and Bayern Munich respectively; Palmeiras beaten by Chelsea in the quarter-final; Fluminense finally meeting their match against Chelsea in the semi-final.
Fluminense had no answer to the quality of Joao Pedro in particular, but it has been an uplifting experience for Renato Gaucho’s team and their supporters, not to mention a tremendously lucrative one for the club, who will earn around $60m in prize money for reaching the semi-final.
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Ultimately, the financial muscle of the leading European teams has held sway in this tournament; how different might it be for a club like Fluminense if they were able to keep hold of players such as Joao Pedro, rather than sell them as soon as the first big offers from Europe arrive. Will that change with the money they and others have earned from this tournament? The consensus among the Brazilian media is that it will not.
Several Fluminense players have put themselves in the shop window over the past few weeks: among them Colombia winger Jhon Arias and midfielder Hercules. Arias has had an excellent tournament, but he made less of an impact against Chelsea and an obdurate full-back in Marc Cucurella.
(Alex Grimm/Getty Images)
It is beyond question, though, that the Brazilian teams and their supporters have made their mark at the Club World Cup. Their enthusiasm for the competition — for any opportunity to prove themselves against Europe’s finest — has been one of its main selling points.
Oliver Kay
How did Chelsea react?
Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca was delighted to have added another high point to what was an already successful first season in charge.
“It is a great achievement,” he told DAZN. “It has been a fantastic season — top four in the Premier League, Conference League and now in the final of this competition. We are so, so happy.”
On his goalscorer, Joao Pedro, he added: “We know that we have players that are able to do that and we know we have to help them get in situations where they can do that, and we know Joao can do this.”
Joao Pedro was pleased to get off the mark with his new club.
“I think it was a dream. I don’t think it could have been better,” he told DAZN. “Two goals. Now we need to think about the final. I am very happy to score two goals today.
“I am happy to score my first goal for Chelsea, but also I know this tournament is very important for Fluminense,” he added of scoring against his former club. “I can just say sorry, but I have to be professional. I play for Chelsea. They pay me to score goals and today I was happy to score.”
What next for Chelsea?
Sunday, July 13: Real Madrid or PSG, Club World Cup final, MetLife Stadium, 3pm ET, 8pm UK
(Top photo: Franck Fife/AFP via Getty Images)
This news was originally published on this post .
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