Joao Pedro scored two stunning goals in his first start for Chelsea as they beat Fluminense 2-0 to reach the Club World Cup final.
The £60m signing from Brighton was making his first start for Chelsea and showed why they wanted him with a goal in each half to sink the Brazilian side where he started his career and set up a final meeting with either Real Madrid or Paris Saint-Germain.
Chelsea endured a couple of scares in retaining their first-half lead, Marc Cucurella doing well to clear the ball off the line after Hercules had beaten Robert Sanchez with his shot. Trevor Chalobah then saw the referee initially award a penalty against him.
Player ratings:
Fluminense: Fabio (6), Da Silva Oliveira (6), Thiago Silva (6), Dos Santos (6), Guga (6), Hercules (7), Bernal (5), Nonato (5), Rodrigues (6), Arias (6), Cano (6).
Subs: Keno (6), Stum (6), Soteldo (7), Canobbio (6), Lima (6).
Chelsea: Sanchez (6), Gusto (6), Tosin (6), Chalobah (6), Cucurella (7), Caicedo (7), Fernandez (7), Neto (7), Palmer (6), Nkunku (6), Joao Pedro (9).
Subs: Jackson (6), James (6), Madueke (6), Andrey Santos (n/a), Dewsbury-Hall (n/a).
Player of the Match: Joao Pedro.
The ball struck the Chelsea defender on the hand following a left-wing free-kick but a VAR review saw the official change his mind, ruling that the England international’s hand had been in a natural position. The Fluminense players were furious with the call.
In the sweltering heat of New Jersey, the fear for Chelsea was that they might falter under pressure. But as Fluminense chased the equaliser, they were punished on the break by that man Joao Pedro. His powerful strike sent Chelsea into Sunday’s final.
Player of the match: Joao Pedro
Chelsea had already made almost £60m in participation and prize money for reaching the semi-final stage of the tournament and they made another £22m with their win over Fluminense. Another £29m is on the line in the final at the weekend.
In other words, Joao Pedro has swiftly paid off a chunk of his fee with this outrageous full debut. Chelsea’s new signing had not scored from outside the box in 70 games for his previous club Brighton, but it took him just 18 minutes to curl the ball home here.
If that effort showed his class, his second-half strike highlighted other assets – his ability as a ball carrier on the counter-attack, his dribbling threat and the power of his shooting. It was an emphatic finish by the Brazilian to all but end Fluminense’s hopes.
Nicolas Jackson carried the weight of responsibility to lead the line for Chelsea last season but with Liam Delap making an encouraging start to his career with the club, this performance from Joao Pedro offered further proof that the Blues have strengthened.
His fluid movement makes him a different proposition and he even contributed at the other end of the pitch with a crucial defensive header late in the first half. He did not celebrate against former club Fluminense. But there will be many celebrations to come.
Joao Pedro on ‘dream’ first start
Chelsea’s Joao Pedro speaking to DAZN:
“I think it was a dream first start. I don’t think it could have been better. Two goals, now we have to think about the final. I’m very happy.
“I’m happy to score my first goal, but also I know this tournament is very important for [Fluminense]. I can just say sorry but I have to be professional. I play for Chelsea, they pay me to score goals.
“Now I need to rest and focus on the final. It will be a very important game.
“It is going to be my first title as well, a very important and special game. I only came a week ago and I am going to play the final.”
Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca speaking to DAZN about his new signing:
“Probably the good thing about Joao is he was on holiday, he was more fresh than the rest. It was something to think about for the future.
“Joao Pedro was playing a bit more deep but we know how good he is technically in the small spaces.”
Maresca: Hopefully we can win it
Asked what pleased him about the performance, Maresca told DAZN: “Everything, to be honest. It is a great achievement. It has been a fantastic season, top four in the league, Conference League, now in the final in this competition.
“We are so, so, so happy.
“We know that we need to go game by game. Now it is finally the last game of the season, we can say that. And hopefully we can win the tournament.”
Analysis: Chelsea midfield duo key
Sky Sports News’ Kaveh Solhekol at the MetLife Stadium:
“Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo put a phenomenal shift in today. They complemented each other perfectly and gave Chelsea the platform to win this game.
“Chelsea fans may have been worried about how they would cope without the suspended Levi Colwill but Fernandez and Caicedo protected Trevor Chalobah and Tosin Adarabioyo and also set up numerous attacks.”
Who do Chelsea play next?
Chelsea will face either Paris St-Germain or Real Madrid in the Club World Cup final in New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium. The Champions League winners take on Real on Wednesday night at the same venue.
