Pedro Performs as Blues Reach Club World Cup Final

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Joao Pedro
Joao Pedro, left (andywitchger | Wikipedia)

Chelsea beat Rio side Fluminense 2-0 in the semis of the Club World Cup in the USA. That win put them through to the final where they were set to face the winner of the other semi between Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid. PSG prevailed with real class and ease in that clash, meaning the Blues will return to the MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, for a blockbuster final against the French giants.

The stadium, opened in 2010 after a $1.6bn build, is home to two NFL teams, the New York Giants and the New York Jets. Whilst almost 90,000 fans watched Ed Sheeran there in 2023, and more than 82,000 watched Man United and Arsenal play a friendly the same year, Chelsea’s semi attracted “just” 70,556. The PSG v Real Madrid game drew a crowd of over 77,000, whilst 76,611 saw Los Blancos beat Dortmund 3-2 in the quarters.

We should have a full house for the final though, which will take place on Sunday the 13th of July. Kick-off is at 3 pm in the States, which is handy for fans, though it means temperatures are set to be around 28 degrees Celsius. That makes for a good time for fans watching on from the UK, though, with the action set to commence at 8 pm.

Pedro Shines in Semi


Chelsea have had some outstanding strikers over the years but they have had more than their fair share of misses too. For every Kerry Dixon, Didier Drogba and Peter Osgood, there has been an Alvaro Morata, a Fernando Torres and an Andriy Shevchenko. In fact, when one considers Adrian Mutu, Mateja Kezman, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and poor loan signings such as Radamel Falcao, Alexandre Pato and Gonzalo Higuain, the club have had far more misses than hits.

And that is before we even get to more recent signings, such as Michy Batshuayi, Armando Broja, Nicolas Jackson, Christopher Nkunku and Joao Felix, even if it may be a little early to judge all of those.

It is certainly too early to get carried away by João Pedro, who joined from Brighton on the 2nd of July for a fee that could reach almost £60m. However, the Brazilian, who is 23 years old and hails from São Paulo, has certainly made a very solid start to his time with the Blues. He made his debut against Palmeiras in the quarter finals of the Club World Cup, coming off the bench to play the final 36 minutes of the 2-1 win. He was bright, creating a couple of chances, having one shot on target and managing 23 touches.

He did enough to earn a start from boss Enzo Maresca for the semi and he repaid that faith – and a good chunk of his transfer fee – by scoring after 18 minutes and again after 56. He was withdrawn after an hour and in the end his two goals were the only ones of the match and came from just three shots. He converted xG of just 0.27 into two goals, and at a time when Blues fans have become accustomed to strikers underperforming their stats, that is hugely encouraging.

Although he is chiefly a striker, he likes to drift out wide, mainly to the left, and also drop deep. He was far more involved in play during the game against Fluminense, his boyhood club, than either Liam Delap or Jackson have been when they have played at this tournament. This makes him a nightmare for defenders, creates space for others, and allows him to rotate positions with the likes of Cole Palmer and whoever is on the flanks.

As said, it is early days, but Pedro looks a really promising addition and if Maresca can uses him wisely, and if the player can forge a good relationship with Palmer and the club’s other attacking talents, he could be the 20 to 30 goal a season striker Chelsea have lacked for so long.

Chelsea 2-0 Fluminense


The Blues were big favourites to progress to the final and they took the lead after just 18 minutes. Pedro cashed in after 40-year-old Thiago Silva, who of course previously played for Chelsea, cleared the ball straight to his compatriot. From just outside the area the youngster took a touch and then curled a beauty into the far corner, giving the keeper no chance at all.

Marc Cucurella was then forced into a desperate goal-line clearance but there were few real chances in the first period. The Brazilians thought they had a route back into the game when they were awarded a penalty for handball but VAR rightly adjudged that the defender’s arm was in a natural position and it was ball to hand rather than the other way round.

In the second half, Pedro again showed his class with a brilliantly taken goal on the break. He was released on the left, cut inside and then lashed another unstoppable effort in, this time off the underside of the bar. If he can keep producing finishes of this calibre he will soon become a firm fan favourite and if he can add the simple goals too then he will surely become a very regular scorer.

The second half was more open than the first and saw 19 shots shared between the teams, both boasting two on target. Neither created a really clear chance though, and that meant that the Blues were able to ease themselves into the final.

Clearly PSG will provide a huge challenge and the final will easily be their toughest game of the tournament. However, that is what finals are for and Maresca will feel this is a great chance for his side to claim some silverware. Pedro’s goals in the semi meant that Chelsea’s guaranteed winnings from the Club World Cup moved from around £60m to more than £80m. They should also mean he has done enough to start the showpiece clash, and if he can deliver another couple of goals, he may well extend the Blues’ financial reward into nine figures! Not bad for a few weeks’ work in the summer!