Chelsea Cruise Past Fluminense to Reach FIFA Club World Cup Final
Chelsea booked their place in the FIFA Club World Cup Final with a composed and largely untroubled performance against Fluminense, sealing a 2–0 victory in Saudi Arabia.
It was a night to remember for new signing João Pedro, who came back to haunt his boyhood club. The former Fluminense prodigy struck in the 18th minute with a stunning curling effort into the far corner, breaking the Brazilian side’s cautious game plan wide open.
With the early goal in hand, Chelsea settled into a patient possession game, calmly dictating the tempo while forcing Fluminense to come out of their shell. The Brazilian outfit responded with a brief spell of pressure: Marc Cucurella was forced into a goalline clearance, and a moment of drama followed when a handball by Trevoh Chalobah initially led to a penalty being awarded. However, after VAR review, the referee reversed the decision.
The game was effectively put to bed in the 56th minute. Once again, it was João Pedro who delivered the decisive blow — this time dancing through two defenders inside the box before lashing the ball in off the crossbar into the top corner. A true moment of magic that showcased why Chelsea were so eager to bring him to Stamford Bridge.
From there, Fluminense simply had no answers. Lacking the spirit and technical sharpness to mount a comeback, they bowed out quietly. Still, for the Brazilians, reaching the semi-final was a respectable achievement — but there will be regrets that they couldn’t leave a more lasting mark on the tournament.
2025 FIFA Club World Cup
Fluminense - Chelsea 0:2 (0:1)
Goals: João Pedro, 18 (0:1); João Pedro, 56 (0:2)
Fluminense: Fábio; Guga; Ignácio; Renê R.; Thiago Silva; Bernal (Lima, 70); Thiago Santos (Keno, 54); Hercules (Canobbio, 70); Nonato (Soteldo, 66); Arias J.; Cano (Everaldo, 54)
Bench: Pitaluga; Eudes; Manoel; Samuel Xavier; Freytes; Fuentes G.; Martinelli Matheus; Ganso; Isaque; Lavega; Lezcano; Paulo Baya; Riquelme Felipe; Serna
Yellow Cards: Nonato 59; Soteldo 72
Chelsea: Sanchez Ro. (till 73); Adarabioyo; Gusto (James R., 68); Chalobah; Cucurella; Caicedo M.; Palmer Co.; Fernandez E. (Andrey Santos, 86); Nkunku (Dewsbury-Hall, 86); João Pedro (Jackson N., 60); Pedro Neto (Madueke, 68)
Bench: Jörgensen F.; Penders; Slonina; Anselmino; Acheampong J. K.; Badiashile B.; Colwill; Sarr; Lavia; Essugo; Guiu Marc; George; Delap
