Chelsea’s Joao Pedro Fires Blues into Club World Cup Final
Chelsea secured their place in the FIFA Club World Cup final after a 2-0 victory over Fluminense, with new signing Joao Pedro scoring both goals against his former club.
The 23-year-old forward, who joined Chelsea from Brighton for £60 million last week, made an immediate impact in his first start for the Blues. Pedro opened the scoring in the 18th minute with a stunning strike from outside the box, curling the ball into the top corner. Out of respect for Fluminense, where he began his professional career, Pedro chose not to celebrate excessively.
Fluminense nearly equalized eight minutes later when Jhon Arias crafted a clever opportunity, but Chelsea defender Marc Cucurella was on hand to clear the ball off the line. The English side maintained their 1-0 lead heading into halftime.
In the 56th minute, Pedro doubled Chelsea’s advantage. Latching onto a precise pass from Enzo Fernandez, he drove into the box and unleashed a powerful shot that struck the underside of the crossbar before finding the net.
The match concluded at 2-0, sending Chelsea to the final where they will face either Real Madrid or Paris Saint-Germain on Sunday.
