Chelsea 3-0 PSG: Palmer and Joao Pedro help Blues crown Club World Cup champions

Cole Palmer produces three moments of magic as Blues destroy European champions to win Club World Cup.

Match Report

Chelsea became the first FIFA Club World Cup (CWC) champions of the competition’s new era, comprehensively defeating Paris Saint-Germain 3-0 in the final at the MetLife Stadium. A Cole Palmer brace did the early damage, as Luis Enrique’s side were denied what would have been a remarkable clean sweep of silverware in 2024/25.

The group stages saw both of these European giants defeated by Brazilian sides, but they roared through their respective halves of the knockout tree to contest this showpiece event in the outskirts of New York City. Spearheaded by semi-final hero João Pedro, Chelsea launched an initial barrage which nearly produced an opener when Palmer’s strike on eight minutes took a slight deflection off wide off Lucas Beraldo.

PSG responded by exploiting their opponents’ defensive frailties, and only a last-ditch Marc Cucurella interception stood between Désiré Doué’s pass and an unmarked Achraf Hakimi. But Enzo Maresca had a clear gameplan, and PSG were powerless to resist the surging Blue sea. Like a Hollywood hero rising to the occasion, Palmer devastated the opposition and delighted the Chelsea contingent with two sublime composed finishes within eight minutes, firstly rolling into the net from Malo Gusto’s lay-off, before a scintillating second that came after a twisting solo run.

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Appropriately for a match introduced by Michael Buffer, the reigning European champions looked thoroughly punch-drunk after the second goal.

And when Palmer slipped Joao Pedro clean through for the Brazilian to adroitly chip a third over Gianluigi Donnarumma, it looked as though Les Parisiens’ superiority over Premier League sides – as shown in their UEFA Champions League (UCL) eliminations of Liverpool and Arsenal earlier this year – was to finally come to a swift and ruthless end.

PSG’s hopes of a riposte early in the second half were almost single-handedly quashed by their opposing goalkeeper. Robert Sánchez made superb reflex saves to keep out efforts from Ousmane Dembélé and Vitinha, while Donnarumma didn’t do much worse to bat away a whipping strike from substitute Liam Delap. Frustration inevitably grew in Enrique’s dugout, as Chelsea’s aggression and tenacity in the final third nullified anything PSG had to offer, and they were dealt a final blow with six minutes to go when João Neves was shown a straight red card for pulling Cucurella’s inimitable hair.

Having lifted the UEFA Conference League in May – their first trophy since they last won the CWC in 2021 – Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea tenure bears more fruit with another piece of silverware in quick succession. They also take home over £90 million in prize money, while PSG miss out on becoming the first side since Barcelona in 2015 to win the CWC and UCL along with the domestic league and cup double.

Match Events

0' Fans are showing posters that Dembele holding the Ballon d'Or ahead of the match

0' Closing Ceremony for Club World Cup 2025!

0' The match is about to start!

0' The match begins!

0' It is time for the half-time show!

3' Cucurella's header goes well wide of the right post from close range

8' Palmer volleys the ball on the edge of the box after rebound but it is just wide

11' Nuno Mendes is brought down by Joao Pedro

13' Cucurella commits a rough foul and the ref blows his whistle for an infringement

16' A golden chance missed by Doue as he produces a poor pass which is hacked away

17' Gusto passes the ball to Enzo but the midfielder's effort is wide

18' Doue unleashes a fine strike but Sanchez pulls off a reflexive save

22' GOAL! Palmer slots the ball into the bottom left corner! Chelsea 1-0 PSG

30' GOAL! Palmer nets double and extends the lead for Blues! Chelsea 2-0 PSG

32' Foul by Nuno Mendes as he hits Palmer with his elbow

34' Neto is booked yellow as he argues with the referee

36' Caicedo is shown the yellow card for his misbehaviour

40' Malo Gusto is booked yellow for a tough tackle

43' GOAL! Joao Pedro chipps the ball into the net as Palmer assists! Chelsea 3-0 PSG

46' Robert Sanchez makes a superb save to deny a header by Joao Neves

47' Kvaratskhelia unleashes a low shot and forces Robert Sanchez to make a save

52' Dembele's shot towards the left side of the goal is brilliantly saved by Sanchez

53' Doue tries his luck from outside the box but his effort goes wide

55' Joao Pedro is brought down in the box but the ref thinks it is not penalty

58' Barcola on, Kvaratskhelia off

59' Vitinha's shot from outside the box is wide

60' Vitinha sends a cross but Joao Pedro provides a brilliant clearance

61' Enzo Fernandez is replaced by Andrey Santos

65' Gusto's shot from outside the box is well wide of the left post

65' Neto pulls the shirt of his opponent and the referee stops play for a foul

68' Delap's shot is denied by Donnarumma's fine reflex save

71' Zaire-Emery, Mayulu and Goncalo Ramos repalces Fabian Ruiz, Doue and Hakimi

75' Joao Neves manages to dispossess his opponent of the ball but he commits a foul

75' Huge scare for Blues but PSG's efforts are denied by their opponents

81' Delap cuts inside the penalty area and sends a shot that almost gets in the net

82' A yellow card for a tackle by Levi Colwill

85' João Neves is sent off because of his violent foul by pulling Cucurella's hair

Line-ups

Chelsea XI: Cucurella, Trevoh Chalobah, Reece James, Robert Sánchez, Pedro Neto, Cole Palmer, João Pedro, Enzo, Caicedo, Colwill, Gusto

Subs: Adarabioyo, Nkunku, Dewsbury-Hall, Jørgensen, Gabriel Slonina, Liam Delap, Lavia, Nicolas Jackson, Mamadou Sarr, Andrey Santos, Josh Acheampong, Tyrique George, Mike Penders, Guiu, Aarón Anselmino

PSG XI: Marquinhos, Dembele, Fabian Ruiz, Donnarumma, Hakimi, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Vitinha, Nuno Mendes, Beraldo, Doue, João Neves

Subs: Kimpembe, Safonov, Arnau Tenas, Kang-in Lee, Gonçalo Ramos, Barcola, Zaire-Emery, Mayulu, Gabriel Moscardo, Mbaye, Noham Kamara