New York [US], July 14 (ANI): Chelsea claimed the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup title with a dominant 3-0 victory over French champions Paris Saint-Germain in New Jersey on Monday, powered by a superb first-half performance.
PSG, the favorites, had not conceded a goal in their previous four matches leading into the final of the menās football tournament. But their defense was breached in the 22nd minute when Cole Palmer controlled a clever layoff from Malo Gusto and bent a sumptuous effort into the far corner, giving Chelsea the early lead, according to Olympics.com.
Just eight minutes later, the 23-year-old doubled Chelseaās advantage ā this time latching onto a long ball and, with the same ice-cool precision, curled it into the far corner again.
And just when PSG thought they had contained the threat, Palmer turned provider. His slide-rule pass split the defense, freeing JoĆ£o Pedro, who added a touch of Brazilian flair with a delicate chip over the helpless Gianluigi Donnarumma.
The halftime whistle couldnāt come soon enough for PSG, who struggled all evening against Chelseaās relentless press.
The second half was less eventful but notable for featuring the first-ever halftime show at a FIFA-organized event, with performances by Coldplay, Doja Cat, J Balvin, and Tems.
Both managers made tactical adjustments after the break, but PSG, the European champions, remained desperate for a breakthrough. Chelsea substitute Liam Delap, who replaced Pedro, twice forced spectacular saves from Donnarumma to keep the scoreline from growing.
PSGās night went from bad to worse when JoĆ£o Neves was shown a straight red card for pulling Marc Cucurellaās hair five minutes from time.
Chelsea added the Club World Cup trophy to the UEFA Conference League title they won in May, capping an impressive debut season for Italian manager Enzo Maresca at Stamford Bridge. (ANI)
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