- Safiu Kehinde
Chelsea football club has emerged winner of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup as humbled Paris Saint Germain (PSG) in 3-0 victory.
The Enzo Marecsa-led English side locked horn against the UEFA Champions League winner who were considered the favourite to win the cup.
Chelsea however shocked the world at the New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium on Sunday as first half brace from Cole Palmer and a goal from new boy Joao Pedro saw the Blues through.
Palmer put the London club on the lead in the 22nd minute when PSG fullback Nuno Mendes gifted possession to Malo Gusto.
While his initial effort was blocked by Mendes, Gusto collected the rebound and found Palmer unmarked in the middle and the midfielder made no mistake, slotting a tidy finish just inside the left post.
The English midfielder doubled the lead after the 30th-minute cooling break with a goal of sublime quality.
Latching onto a precise through ball from Levi Colwill, he cut inside before faking a pass to dummy a defender and firing into the bottom-left corner.
Palmer then provided an assist for Chelsea’s third goal after finding Joao Pedro, who took the ball in his stride and beat the offside trap before chipping his finish beautifully over keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma.
PSG’s misery was completed when Joao Neves was sent off for pulling Marc Cucurella’s hair in the 83rd minute as they ended the match 10-man.
The Champions League winner looked like a shadow of their old self as they failed to break through Chelsea’s watertight defense despite trashing European giant, Real Madrid, 4-nil at the semi-finals.