Fluminense 0-2 Chelsea: there will be a European final in the Club World Cup

The 2025 Club World Cup will have a European final. Chelsea eliminated Brazilian Fluminense (0-2) and now awaits Paris Saint-Germain or Real Madrid, who will define the second finalist of the tournament organized by FIFA on Wednesday.

Thanks to a brace from Joao Pedro, the London team will play in the World Cup final. The 23-year-old striker was on vacation with Brighton, but the 'blues' paid 63.7 million euros for his transfer and he joined the team just before the quarter-finals.

After a first phase with some doubts after the defeat on the second matchday against Flamengo (1-3), Enzo Maresca's team eliminated Benfica (1-4 in extra time) and Palmeiras (1-2) to get among the four best teams in the World Cup, along with PSG and Madrid.

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There, Fluminense awaited them, a great surprise in the final draw after surprising Inter Milan in the round of 16 (0-2) and beating Al Hilal in the quarter-finals (2-1). The Saudi team had just eliminated Manchester City in what was the great upset of the tournament, but could not overcome a Brazilian team very well organized in defense.

However, against Chelsea, the 'Fluzao' could not maintain the solidity that characterized it throughout the World Cup. Renato Gaúcho's team arrived undefeated in the 'semis', with 3 wins and 2 draws, but a brace from their former youth player Joao Pedro left them without options in New Jersey.

Joao Pedro applied the 'ex-player rule' twice to eliminate Fluminense

In a nearly full MetLife Stadium, the English took control of the match from the start, completing a superb first half hour. Despite the heat, the 'blue' team authoritatively controlled the midfield, thanks to the great work of Enzo Fernández and Moisés Caicedo.

In the 18th minute, Joao Pedro, former youth player of 'Flu', took advantage of a short clearance from Thiago Silva to settle towards his right and take a placed shot to the angle, impossible for goalkeeper Fábio. Fluminense reacted with a chance saved on the line by Cucurella and a penalty hand correctly disallowed thanks to the intervention of the VAR.

After the break, Chelsea took advantage of the offensive changes made by Renato Gaúcho to hurt on the counterattack. In the 56', a quick exit allowed Enzo Fernández to filter a pass to Joao Pedro. The '20', with time and space, profiled himself to take another implacable right-footed shot directly to the crossbar, breaking Fábio's goal.

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Chelsea awaits PSG or Real Madrid, two rivals with a lot of history

The 0-2 settled the match, although the Brazilians sought a discount until the final stretch. But there were no more changes in the score and Chelsea, thanks to their victory, ensures a European final in the World Cup, against Real Madrid or PSG. In any case, it will be a duel with a lot of history.

The English eliminated Real Madrid in the 'semis' of the Champions League in 2021, while the 'merengues' did the same in the quarter-finals against the 'blues' in 2022 and 2023. Against Paris, Chelsea had mixed luck between 2014 and 2016, winning the first tie (quarter-finals) and falling in the two subsequent ones (both in the round of 16).

The 'blue' team won the Club World Cup with its previous format in 2022 (2-1 against Palmeiras in the final), while Paris, if they eliminate Madrid, will go for their first crown and an unprecedented poker, after winning the treble (Ligue 1, Coupe de France and Champions).

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