PSG were outclassed as Cole Palmer delivered a brilliant first-half performance, leading Chelsea to a 3-0 win in the Club World Cup final at MetLife Stadium.
The English attacking midfielder scored twice and assisted João Pedro in the redesigned tournament decider, leaving the European and French champions startled before the break.
Chelsea, who won the 2021 Club World Cup in its previous format, took the lead in the 22nd minute when PSG fullback Nuno Mendes handed the ball to Malo Gusto. After Mendes stopped his initial shot, Gusto gathered the rebound and found Palmer unmarked in the middle, where the midfielder finished neatly just inside the left post.
Palmer increased his lead following the 30-minute cooling break with a superb goal. Latching onto Levi Colwill’s exquisite through ball, he cut inside before faking a pass to dupe a defender and blasting into the bottom left corner.
Palmer then turned provider, racing along the channel and finding Joao Pedro, who collected the ball in stride, avoided the offside trap, and chipped his finish brilliantly over Gianluigi Donnarumma.
Tactical Brilliance and PSG’s Struggles
João Neves was sent off in the 83rd minute for tugging Marc Cucurella’s hair, adding to PSG’s irritation during the encounter.
The game devolved into an ill-tempered brawl at the finish, with players yelling at each other after the final whistle, but the fracas swiftly subsided as Chelsea’s players proceeded to celebrate with their supporters.
“It’s a great feeling,” Palmer told DAZN. “Even better, we were aware that everyone questioned us before the game. It is good to fight like we did. The gaffer devised an excellent game strategy. He knew where the gap would be. He did everything he could to free me up, and all I had to do was return to him by scoring some goals.
Palmer, who won the Golden Ball as the tournament’s top player, stated, “I enjoy finals. “It happened again.”
Chelsea moved to the United States after winning Europe’s third-tier Conference League and finishing fourth in the Premier League.
Before the match, Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca predicted a “game of chess” with PSG coach Luis Enrique, but the Italian delivered a tactical masterclass.
Maresca’s team deployed a persistent high press, similar to the tactics used by Brazilian club Botafogo, who defeated 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 push caused PSG all sorts of problems, and when Maresca’s team couldn’t retrieve control, they sat deep, aggravating the European champions, who were unable to play their normal game.
Chelsea’s game on Sunday featured the direct and pacey soccer we’d come to expect from PSG, with Palmer, Gusto, and Joao Pedro tearing apart the PSG defense, particularly on the left flank.
Aside from a missed excellent opportunity for PSG’s Desire Doue, Chelsea dominated the first half, and the French team could never recover when they took a three-goal lead.
“Chelsea were more effective than us; they capitalized on our minor weakness,” PSG captain Marquinhos remarked.
“Tactically, they caused us problems in the first half, and we took some time to respond. These are the items that we’ll need to change going forward. I believe all teams will now extensively examine us to determine what we do well and what we do poorly. It’s up to us now to stay on top of our game.”
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