Pedro Scores Brace Taking Chelsea Into Club World Cup Final

July 9, 2025 - Joao Pedro joined Chelsea from Brighton just seven days before the Club World Cup began. On the same day, he was added to Chelsea's squad for the tournament. Three days later, he made his debut against his former club, Palmeiras. However, he could not do anything special during his 36 minutes on the field.

Even though he debuted against Palmeiras, Pedro got a place in the starting eleven for the first time in the match against Fluminense last night. And in just his second match for Chelsea, the 23-year-old made a big impact. He scored two goals (a brace) in the Club World Cup semi-final against his boyhood club, Fluminense. Thanks to his brilliant performance, Chelsea beat Fluminense 2-0 and reached the final of the Club World Cup.

Fluminense’s Dream Run Ends

With this defeat, Fluminense’s amazing journey in the FIFA Club World Cup came to an end. Their exit also confirmed that the title will go to a European club for the 13th time in a row. The last non-European club to win the trophy was Corinthians in 2012, when they beat Chelsea.

Chelsea will now play in the final on Sunday night against the winner of the other semi-final between PSG and Real Madrid.

Chelsea vs Fluminense

The semi-final match was played at the MetLife Stadium in New York, and both teams started with attacking football. The game was full of attacks and counter-attacks. In the 18th minute, Joao Pedro scored a brilliant goal to give Chelsea the lead.

Pedro got the ball near the Fluminense box on the left side. He took a powerful shot aiming for the far post. Goalkeeper Fabio tried to save it but could not stop the ball. Pedro did not celebrate, as a sign of respect to his boyhood club.

Fluminense Misses Chances

After going down 0-1, Fluminense tried hard to come back. Soon after the goal, they almost scored, but Marc Cucurella made a goal-line clearance.

In the 36th minute, the referee gave a penalty to Fluminense for a handball, but after checking the replay, VAR overturned the decision.

Pedro Strikes Again to Seal the Win

The second half also started with high energy. In the 56th minute, Pedro scored his second goal of the match. He got a perfect pass from Enzo Fernandez and made no mistake in finding the net. Once again, Pedro chose not to celebrate the goal against his former club.

Fluminense kept trying but could not break Chelsea’s defense. The match ended 2-0 in Chelsea’s favour.

Chelsea Reach Club World Cup Final for 3rd Time

This win helped Chelsea reach the Club World Cup final for the third time. They played in the final earlier in 2012 and 2021. While they lost in 2012, they lifted the trophy in 2021.

Coach Maresca: “We’re Very Happy”

After the match, Chelsea coach Enzo Maresca said, “It’s a great achievement. The season has been great. We were the best in the league, we won the Conference League, and now we’re in the final of this tournament. We’re very happy. We have reached the last match of the season. Hopefully, we can win the trophy.”