Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.
Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in
The Independent’s journalism is supported by our readers. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn commission.
Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea earned themselves a massive payday with victory over Luis Enrique’s Paris Saint-Germain in the revamped Club World Cup final
Chelsea are the world champions after dominanting this Club World Cup final against Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain.
The fascinating Club World Cup final in New Jersey pitted Enzo Maresca’s underdog Blues against a PSG side who had looked unstoppable, having demolished Inter Milan 5-0 at the end of May to clinch their first Champions League crown, and then thumped Real Madrid 4-0 in the Club World Cup semi-finals for good measure.
But a Blue blitz saw Chelsea lead 3-0 at half-time of this final thanks to Cole Palmer’s brilliance. Palmer scored the opener and then added an even better second, shimmying inside before firing low into the corner. And he created the third as his pass fed Joao Pedro, who scooped the ball over Gianluigi Donnarumma to leave PSG stunned.
And Chelsea finished the job, with PSG reduced to 10 men at the end of the game after Joao Neves was sent off for pulling Marc Cucurella’s hair.
You can sign up to DAZN to watch every Club World Cup game for free, while all the latest updates from the final are in our blog below:
Chelsea have done the unthinkable. At the culmination of a tournament that has been widely detracted for non-footballing matters, the beautiful game prevailed. They’ve beaten the planet’s best to become champions of the world, against all odds.
Paris Saint-Germain, a team whose recent success stems from a philosophy that focuses on the collective, were dismantled by an individual. Cole Palmer has endured a tough six months, but provided an overwhelming reminder of his quality to guide the Blues to immortality. Scoring two and setting up the third, “cold” became the epitaph of a tournament that has been synonymous with heat.
The Club World Cup has been shrouded in controversy and criticism since its inception. Seen by many as an unnecessary addition to an already-crammed footballing calendar, with Fifa president Gianni Infantino thrusting himself into the centre of attention in pursuit of perceived personal political gain, people have seen through Fifa’s mirage of extravagance. Just today, FifPro – the world’s main player union – branded Infantino “the man who thinks he’s god” after he snubbed the body for a “key” meeting over footballer welfare, with the union claiming that the governing body was “silencing” football’s key protagonists.
Will Castle reports from the MetLife Stadium:
Donald Trump names Pele as his football (soccer) GOAT. In fairness, he says he watched him live playing for the New York Cosmos back in the day.
Trump speaks to DAZN: “It’s a big thing [competition], Gianni’s a friend of mine. But it’s great to watch. This is a little bit of an upset we’re watching today. [Fifa has done] fantastically well, it’s a growing sport, it’s a great sport.”
An incredibly funny moment to finish this odd event, after Trump and Infantino hand the trophy over to Reece James. The Chelsea players are waiting politely for the suits to walk off stage so they can begin celebrating, but Trump just stands there, smiling, right next to James.
After a few awkward seconds, James just goes ahead and lifts the trophy anyway.
Chelsea collect their medals from Gianni Infantino and Donald Triump – this is all a bit surreal – and now they’re lining up on the podium to lift the trophy…
Some awards are being handed out before the trophy itself – Desire Doue accepts the best young player award, and Robert Sanchez receives the Golden Glove – who’d have thought it.
Cole Palmer is next up, taking the player of the tournament from Donald Trump. He gives Don and handshake and a nod, and walks off.
“For me, we won the game in the first 10 minutes. We set the tempo and we were very good at pressing them. The conditions made it hard to keep going but the boys did well.
“Today we found a position for [Cole] where there was more space to attack. Obviously Cole played really well but the effort from all the players was fantastic.
“I am very excited [for the future] – but I’m more excited that we have three weeks off!”
Luis Enrique appeared to throw his left hand at Joao Pedro’s throat, pushing the Brazilian forward to the floor after full-time:
“It’s a great feeling. Even better because obviously everyone doubted us before the game.
“I like finals. It happened again.
“The gaffer put a great gameplan out, he tried to free me up as much as possible, and I just tried to repay him. He’s building something special, something important, a young team. Everyone’s talked s**t about us all season but I feel like we’re going in the right direction.”
Chaos at the final whistle as the two teams clash in the middle of the pitch, and Luis Enrique appears to push Joao Pedro who falls to the floor. PSG aren’t used to losing, and they are not happy.
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in