Chelsea reach the Club World Cup final: Joao Pedro's brace defeats Fluminense

New York, July 8, 2025 - Chelsea are the first Club World Cup finalists. Enzo Maresca 's team essentially dominated the semifinal against Fluminense , securing a place in the final thanks to a brace from former player Joao Pedro . The first goal was a stunning early goal, an unstoppable curling shot, and the second, a powerful counterattack, sealed the victory. The biggest blow for Chelsea came when Caicedo sprained his ankle in the final minutes, leaving him doubtful for the final. Thus, after an excellent tournament, the Brazilians were eliminated with honor and to the applause of their supporters.

Joao Pedro on the turn, what a goal

Portaluppi has a few absences, but Thiago Silva is in charge behind the ball, and Cano and Arias are still in the front row. Maresca, Nkunku, Joao Pedro, and Neto form the attacking trident, with Palmer and Fernandez providing quality in the middle. Fluminese were the favorites at the start of the match, with Arias roaming between the lines and immediately creating the first half-chance with a run that ended in nothing. As the minutes passed, the English side took control of the match, and Enzo Fernandez had the first chance in the box, but his right-footed shot was blocked by the defense, with Fluminese starting to struggle. Chelsea were back in the 17th minute: Palmer 's free kick from the three-quarter line was met by Tusin's aerial turn, which went just wide. It was the prelude to the goal, which came a minute later. It was the former player on duty, Joao Pedro , who curled the shot into the top corner, unstoppable for Fabio. A muted celebration, apologizing to former fans, but Chelsea took the lead in the 18th minute. One player on the Blues team was unstoppable: Neto , who darted down the left with aplomb, constantly creating dangerous situations. In the 21st minute, Nkunku headed in his cross, but his header went wide and Fabio saved. Chelsea, however, fell asleep in the 26th minute, especially goalkeeper Sanchez , who failed to read the situation and allowed Hercules to make a run. Only Cuccurella 's providential save on the line prevented the equaliser. A misplaced pass didn't faze Chelsea, who were immediately ready to build play and were extremely attentive in defence thanks to Chalobah's containment of Arias , Fluminense's most dangerous player. Instead, the refereeing incident occurred. On a free kick for the Brazilians in the 35th minute, Chalobah himself touched the ball with his wrist in the center of the area, and the referee called a penalty. However, VAR recommended an on-field review because the defender was in a natural position with his arm at his side. That's how it went. The Brazilians kept their noses out, and a few potential chances arose in the final minutes, but nothing that could significantly trouble goalkeeper Sanchez, who wasn't called upon to make any major saves. At the other end, however, Pedro Neto was unleashed and in injury time caused panic in the Flu area, but his left-footed shot was deflected and misplaced.

Double Joao Pedro

Chelsea started the second half strongly, attacking, building a dominance down the flank, and then exploiting their central runs. Then came Pedro Neto , unleashed and unstoppable. Cucurella tried his luck from outside the box with his left foot, but the ball went just wide. The Brazilians made their mark on the counterattack, with substitute Everaldo unleashing a right-footed shot from the edge of the area, saved by Sanchez. It was a flash in the pan, because as soon as Fluminense got out of control, they were open to the Blues' counterattack, and it was lightning fast. The ball was taken by Joao Pedro , once again the former player, who raced past one defender and then fired a powerful shot that kissed the crossbar and into the net: 2-0 in the 57th minute. The game was on hold, if it could ever be considered open given the Londoners' superiority, so the Brazilians struggled to react and left the ball to Chelsea, who nearly scored a third through Nkunku and a right-footed effort deflected by Thiago Silva to avoid further trouble. Fluminense faltered, but they also managed to save themselves in the 65th minute, once again thanks to Thiago Silva, who cleared the goalline after another chance from Nkunku , another of the best players on the pitch. The Blues' dominance was clear, and shortly afterward, Gusto tried to imitate Joao Pedro, but this time his curling shot went wide of the post with Fabio beaten. Maresca opted for a couple of substitutions, bringing on James and Madueke for Gusto and Neto, but by then the game was under control and all that was needed was to avoid distractions. The Brazilians had a surge of energy midway through the half, with a first-time right-footed effort from Lima going over. They could have done better. Chelsea, however, thrived on the counterattack, and it was the usual Thiago Silva who prevented a third goal in the final fifteen minutes of the game. Chances abounded. Jackson , a recent substitute, snatched a pass from Ignacio and then raced toward goal, but instead decided to fire it in to a solitary Palmer in the penalty area. A waste. Jackson had another chance, freed by Nkunku, but the defense cleared it in front of Fabio. Up front, Fluminense struggled to create chances, but Soteldo was lively and caused a few problems. In the 85th minute, a cross from the number 7 was headed by Thiago Silva , but teammate Ignacio was in the way. Chelsea simply had to let the minutes tick by without risk, especially since Fluminense seemed to have no chance to get back into the game, and reaching the Club World Cup final was just around the corner. He finally arrives, but at the cost of a last-minute ankle sprain for Caicedo , the lynchpin of the midfield. He's at risk for Sunday. Chelsea therefore reaches the final thanks to a brace from Joao Pedro. Fluminense is eliminated.