CHELSEA shocked Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain with a deserved 3-0 triumph in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup.
Cole Palmer scored the first two goals in nearly identical fashion and new signing Joao Pedro added a third before halftime.
Few saw this result coming, given how PSG have steamrolled over nearly every opponent across the 2025 calendar year, including a thorough beatdown of Real Madrid in the semifinals.
Chelsea, however, were by far the better team throughout the match, as they counter-attacked with ferocity.
Palmer bested Vitinha on multiple occasions, while Malo Gusto was exceptional against the uncharacteristically poor Nuno Mendes.
Rubbing salt in the wound, Joao Neves was sent off for stupidly pulling Marc Cucurella’s hair with five minutes to go, sealing PSG’s fate.
With the Club World Cup expanded to 32 teams and moving to once every four years, this victory for Chelsea not only banks them an extra $10 million of prize money, but is also a monumental achievement for the Blues who seize on an opportunity that may only come around once in a career.
PSG tempers boiled over after the match, when head coach Luis Enrique and goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma were each involved in a flashpoint with Joao Pedro.
Enzo Maresca restrained his Chelsea players in animated fashion but, when the dust settles, he can reflect upon a perfectly executed success, with the hope it will springboard a more successful 2025/26 in the Premier League.
