The 2025 FIFA Club World Cup concluded on Sunday night, July 13, with Chelsea defeating Paris Saint-Germain 3-0 in a spectacular match.
Before João Pedro’s audacious chip won the victory, Cole Palmer stole the show with a brace in the first half of the Club World Cup final at the MetLife Stadium in the United States.
From the first whistle, it was evident that Chelsea had come to win, not just to compete. Even though the stadium was already full and some of the fans had teasing posters depicting Ousmane Dembélé lifting the Ballon d’Or before the game started, the Blues won the night.
In the 22nd minute, Cole Palmer dominated the scoreboard. Gianluigi Donnarumma was rendered helpless when he calmly sent a low shot into the bottom-left corner following a period of pressure.
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Eight minutes later, Palmer returned to action, doubling Chelsea’s lead with another calm finish that left PSG’s defense reeling. Chelsea supporters went into raptures after the goal in the 30th minute, while PSG panicked.
Palmer changed roles just before halfway, skillfully putting João Pedro in his path with a pass. In response, the Brazilian forward made it 3-0 in the 43rd minute with a lovely chip over Donnarumma, who was closing in. It was already damaged by halftime.
Tems, a Nigerian musician, sang his popular song “Love Me Jeje” to the audience during the halftime break, which included US President Donald Trump.
PSG tried to rally when the second half started, with João Neves and Kvaratskhelia posing a threat from a distance, but Robert Sanchez was an indestructible barrier.
During a series of outstanding stops, the Spanish goalie most famously stopped Neves’ header early in the half and quickly responded to Dembélé’s strong effort shortly after.
João Neves’ odd and violent foul in the 85th minute, which involved yanking Marc Cucurella’s hair after a touchline altercation, made the Parisians’ already awful night even worse.
The discipline, organization, and inventiveness of Chelsea were too much for a disorganized PSG team who never really found their groove. The Blues were relentless in transition, forceful in defense, and fluid in attack.
Cole Palmer: two goals and one assist; man of the match.
