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EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J.-- Chelsea FC are off to the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup finals after defeating Brazilian side Fluminense 2-0 in the semifinals of the competition Tuesday afternoon at MetLife Stadium. A brace from new signing Joao Pedro steered them to glory as the Brazil international scored two thunderous finishes to book the Blues' spot in the final on Sunday, where they will play the winner between Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain.
Chelsea were without both Liam Delap and Levi Colwill for the match, as both were serving one-game suspensions due to yellow card accumulation, but they overcame the adversity and will now be playing for the title of world champion.
Manager Enzo Maresca named Joao Pedro in the XI for the contest, handing the former Brighton man his first start for the club, and the 23-year-old repaid the Italian coach with a top performance that saw him named Superior Player of the Match.
He opened the scoring 18 minutes in, finding the back of the net from outside the box after launching a curling effort into the right side of the net. He then doubled the lead 56 minutes into the contest, bagging off the underside of the crossbar and into the back of the net off an Enzo Fernandez assist.
Fluminense, meanwhile, had their own chances - they were just never able to capitalize on the moment. Their best opportunity arrived off a breakaway 26 minutes into the match, where midfielder Hercules beat two defenders and Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez, only to see his shot cleared off the line by defender Marc Cucurella. Ten minutes on, the Brazilian side thought the breakthrough had arrived after the referee whistled a penalty kick in their favour for a handball against defender Trevoh Chalobah. However, after a brief VAR review and a trip to the monitor, the referee rescinded his call, claiming Chalobah's hand was in a natural position.
A dominant performance from the Blues, otherwise, took over the contest. Now, they'll be competing for the first CWC trophy in the revamped 32-team version of the competition, and their second CWC title overall.
GOAL rates Chelsea's players from MetLife Stadium.
