Chelsea beat Fluminense 2-0 on Tuesday night to book a place in the Club World Cup final.
The Blues started quickly and were dominant in the first half, with their efforts showing as Joao Pedro curled in a stunning effort for his first Chelsea goal.
Fluminense grew into the game and were unlucky not to equalise as Hercules poked past Robert Sanchez only for Marc Cucurella to clear off the line.
And the Brazilian side were denied a penalty not long before half-time as referee Francois Letexier reversed his original decision of handball on Trevoh Chalobah.
But they could not press on from there, with Enzo Maresca’s side dominant, and the pressure paid off again as Pedro led the counter and rifled in for his brace and Chelsea’s second.
And that effort proved enough to put the game beyond the Brazilians, with Chelsea booking a final against either Real Madrid or PSG on Sunday night.
Follow the latest reaction from the MetLife Stadium below:
Enzo Maresca plays down Chelsea’s Club World Cup chances: ‘We are not the favourites’
Chelsea are potentially 90 minutes away from a shot at becoming world champions, with a final against either Real Madrid or Paris Saint-Germain waiting.
But with such calibre of opponents still in the competition, Maresca disagrees that his side are the clear front runners to bring home Club World Cup glory.
Pedro reacts
Joao Pedro says “it was a dream first start” today.
“I don’t think it could’ve been better, two goals, now we need to think about the final. I’m very happy.
“I think I’m happy to score my first goals, but also I know that this tournament is very important for them [Fluminense fans], I can say sorry but I have to be professional, I play for Chelsea and today I was happy to score,” he says.
“Today, because I started , I had more time to do my stuff. The team played well, that’s important.
“I try to improve every session, but I know it’s hard, they help me as well, now I need to rest, [and] focus on the final.
“I think it could be my first title, so I think it’ll be a very important, very special game. I came a week ago and now I’m going to play a final!” he adds.
“I feel comfortable here,” he says as the finishes.
Joao Pedro announces himself to Chelsea to show boyhood club Fluminense how far he’s risen
Against a legend of old, Chelsea have a new Brazilian to deify. They are potentially 90 minutes away from becoming world champions, and they have a mid-tournament acquisition to thank.
Fluminense’s journey in the Club World Cup has been nothing short of remarkable. Running on financial fumes, they’ve slayed European giants and Saudi money machines. Thiago Silva, a beloved former Chelsea figure now spending his final footballing days captaining his boyhood club, has been lauded as the heart and soul of their unexpected success. But at the feet of fellow local boy Joao Pedro, Fluminense’s dream of conquering the globe came crashing down.
When is the Club World Cup final? Kick-off time, channel and how to watch as Chelsea book their place
Chelsea are potentially 90 minutes away from becoming world champions after dispatching Fluminense in a dominant display in their last-four clash.
They’ve managed to battle through, though, overcoming their Brazilian demons to beat Palmeiras, before a Joao Pedro brace gave them a win over the Tricolour to set up a date with destiny at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium.
Here’s everything you need to know.
More from Maresca
“We’re very happy, because I know how difficult it is. As I said, Premier League top four, we won the Conference, in the final here, it’s fantastic.
“We go game by game. We know what we need to. Now it’s finally the last game of the season, and hopefully we can win the tournament,” he says.
On Madrid and PSG, he adds: “They are both top teams, one won the Champions League this season the other the last, but we’re proud and happy to be there.”
Maresca reacts
Enzo Maresca says that it is “a great achievement” to reach the final.
“It’s been a fantastic season. Top four, Conference League, now in the final of this competition. We’re so happy,” he says.
On Pedro’s goals, he says: “We know we have players able to do that. We need to help them get into siutautons where they can do that.
“Nico is a striker, he played almost all the games last season, but he was okay,” he adds.
On Caicedo’s injury, he adds: “We’ll see, I told him he has to do everything to be on the pitch on Sunday.”
Next up
So, Chelsea’s next game is the Club World Cup final!
That match takes place on Sunday, 13 July at the MetLife Stadium, with kick-off set for 8pm BST.
Fluminense’s next game is scheduled for 17 July, at home to Cruziero.
FULL-TIME! Fluminense 0-2 Chelsea
A brilliant performance overall from Chelsea, who did well to limit a dangerous Fluminense side.
It was Joao Pedro with the man-of-the-match performance, but though he scored two superb goals, Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez also deserve plaudits for dominating the midfield battle.
And now Chelsea can sit back and wait to see if they’ll face Real Madrid or PSG in Sunday’s final!
