Chelsea 3-0 PSG: Rout and Historic Upset in the Club World Cup Final

Chelsea pulled off the surprise of the year by crushing Paris Saint-Germain in the Club World Cup final (3-0). Luis Enrique's team arrived as clear favorites after thrashing Real Madrid in the 'semis' (4-0), but they were totally surprised by the pressure and offensive scheme of the London team.

With a brilliant Cole Palmer and a remarkable job from the center backs, Moisés Caicedo as a pivot, Joao Pedro accompanying Palmer in attack, and Robert Sánchez's saves, Enzo Maresca's team resolved the final in the first 45 minutes.

PSG tried to react in the second half, but they lacked the forcefulness of their forwards. With an uninspired Ousmane Dembélé and an erratic Desiré Doué, the current Champions League champions found no response against the Conference League monarch.

Chelsea's Rout at Halftime and Cole Palmer's Consecratory Match

Chelsea dominated the opening quarter of an hour, applying to PSG the plan that has given Luis Enrique's team such good results. Mobility in all their lines, without giving fixed references, and with an asphyxiating pressure in the rival field.

Palmer came close to the first goal in the 7th minute with a shot from the edge of the area that hit the side of the net, deceiving a good part of the spectators with the illusion of having entered. The '10', however, did not forgive in the 22nd minute, finishing off a lethal counterattack after a long pass from Malo Gusto.

Cole dribbled past Nuno Mendes, positioned himself towards his left foot, and finished with a tight shot, impossible for Donnarumma. The 'blue' team repeated the formula in the 30th minute, again with Palmer finishing with a placed shot, this time assisted by Colwill.

With PSG in 'shock', before halftime, Palmer himself sealed the final with a brutal assist to Joao Pedro. The forward finished by chipping it with class over Donnarumma, to the disbelief of the entire Parisian eleven.

Robert Sánchez Prevented Any Attempted Comeback from Paris

PSG came out firing for a discount after the break, and Dembélé was very close to getting the Gauls into the game with a shot entering the small area in the 50th minute, but Robert Sánchez pulled out a miraculous hand to keep his goal at zero.

Luis Enrique put Barcola in for Kvaratskhelia to refresh the offensive trident, but the minutes passed and Chelsea was closer to the fourth than Paris to discounting. To make matters worse, Joao Neves gave in to impotence in the 85th minute with an ugly aggression against Cucurella.

In the end, there was a mini scuffle on the field, with Donnarumma and 'Lucho' very upset by some gesture from the players of the London team in the celebrations at the end of the match. 

Beyond this, the 'blue' party was total at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. The English achieved a historic rout and secured their second Club World Cup, the first with the 32-team format implemented by FIFA this 2025. The next edition will be in 2029.