New Jersey: Cole Palmer produced a scintillating first-half masterclass as Chelsea demolished a flat Paris St Germain 3-0 to win a one-sided FIFA Club World Cup final at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium on Sunday.
The English attacking midfielder scored twice and provided an assist for João Pedro in a devastating display in the revamped tournament’s decider that left the European and French champions, who finished with 10 men, shell-shocked.
Chelsea, who won the 2021 Club World Cup in its previous format, struck first in the 22nd minute when PSG fullback Nuno Mendes gifted possession to Malo Gusto.
Mendes blocked Gusto’s initial effort, but he collected the rebound and found Palmer unmarked in the middle, and the midfielder made no mistake, slotting a tidy finish just inside the left post.
Palmer doubled the lead after the 30th-minute cooling break with a goal of sublime quality. Latching onto a precise through ball from Levi Colwill, he cut inside before faking a pass to dummy a defender and firing into the bottom-left corner.
Palmer then turned provider, running up the channel before finding João Pedro, who took the ball in his stride and beat the offside trap before chipping his finish beautifully over keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma.
PSG’s misery was completed when João Neves was sent off for pulling Marc Cucurella’s hair in the 83rd minute, as PSG’s players grew in frustration as the match progressed.
The encounter ultimately turned into an ill-tempered match, with players exchanging heated words after the final whistle. Still, the flare-ups quickly dissipated as Chelsea’s players went to celebrate with their fans.
“It’s a great feeling. Even better, because everyone doubted us before the game, we knew that. To put a fight on like we did, it’s good,” Palmer told DAZN.
“The gaffer put a great game plan out. He knew where the space would be. He tried to free me up as much as possible, and I just had to repay him and score some goals.”
It’s the penultimate day of the 2025 Wimbledon Championships. It’s a fantastic cast on Centre Court.
Chelsea arrived in the U.S. after winning Europe’s third-tier Conference League, following a domestic campaign in which they narrowly secured a top-four Premier League finish.
Before the match, Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca said he was expecting a “game of chess” against PSG coach Luis Enrique, but it was a quick checkmate for the Italian, who gave a tactical masterclass.
Maresca’s team employed a relentless high press. It emulated the tactics used by Brazilian outfit Botafogo, who had beaten PSG 1-0 in the group stage and were the only team to score against Luis Enrique’s side in the previous eight games.
Their press caused PSG all sorts of trouble, and when Maresca’s side couldn’t regain possession, they sat deep, frustrating the European champions, who were unable to play their usual game.
The direct and pacey football we had become accustomed to seeing from PSG was on display in Chelsea’s game on Sunday, with Palmer, Gusto, and João Pedro picking apart the PSG defence, especially on the left side.
Aside from an early golden opportunity for PSG’s Kylian Mbappe, which was wasted, the first half was all Chelsea’s, and, after they opened their three-goal lead, the French side could never recover.
