Chelsea Leaves PSG in the Dust in High-Scoring Final

After a brutal month of play in mostly sweltering weather, the champion of the FIFA Club World Cup was crowned at MetLife Stadium. Chelsea overtook PSG in a thrilling, high-intensity match that brought this season's tournament to a close. Despite PSG’s best efforts, Chelsea was the team that came out victorious and walked home with the coveted trophy. Although PSG has been on an incredible run, the English were able to put a definitive stop to it.

Once the match began, it was clear that PSG intended to keep the ball at their feet to control the pace of the game and press whenever they saw an opening. Chelsea was able to keep up with PSG in the first half by pressing whenever possible on the defense, even if they were not in possession of the ball. In doing so, they were able to create a few early chances on the goal. Cole Palmer found the back of the net within the first 10 minutes, but it was called offside, lucky for PSG, but a frustrating start for the English side.

PSG also had a chance 15 minutes into the first half, but were unlucky on timing as the attempted assist was intercepted by the Chelsea defense. To open up Chelsea’s lead, Palmer scored a goal from the edge of the box in the 22nd minute of the first half. This goal led to a bit of a scuffle between the teams as Achraf Hakimi stepped in to de-escalate the situation. Shortly after scoring the first of the night, Palmer found the back of the net with a decisive shot down the box, no defenders in sight. In this span of 10 minutes, it seemed that the same PSG defense that held Real Madrid to nil in the previous match was nowhere to be found.

Despite being ahead by two, Chelsea was still drawing fouls, receiving two yellow cards within two minutes of each other for roughhousing. Chelsea ended up being the only team in the first half to receive a yellow card, ending in a total of three. There was a clear mission for this Chelsea team when they came into this game, and João Pedro’s 43rd-minute goal rang that message throughout the entire stadium. The first half was high-scoring and drove the same intensity into the second.

A performance at halftime by artists Jay Balvin, Doja Cat, Tems, and Coldplay kept the crowd entertained through the 15-minute wait. Once play kicked off, PSG came onto the pitch looking for a turnaround. They were dominant over Chelsea in possession of the ball in the first half and continued to push to keep it that way by becoming more physical in their play. Robert Sánchez had an incredible game with incredible saves in crucial moments for Chelsea, keeping the Frenchmen at bay in the box. This season was the beginning of building an empire for PSG, but, at least in this match, castles crumbled.

Being up by three goals didn’t stop Chelsea from pressing the defense. When in the driver’s seat of a match, teams tend to cruise and play back, keep possession, and play defense. Chelsea’s drive seemed a bit different in the sense that they continued to create chances and take shots on goal. In an attempt to change the game around, PSG made substitutions in the attacking and midfield to get fresh legs onto the pitch and change the dynamic on the field. The intensity of the game rippled through the stadium as players brought the fans to their feet with a dramatic match filled with pushing and shouting.

Just minutes before the second half was over, Paris Saint-Germain went down a man. In the 86th minute, João Neves was shown a red card for violent conduct and had to leave the pitch. Even in the moments where it seemed like there was no hope, they continued to press and attempt a miracle. It feels confusing for some fans as to how a PSG team that left a notoriously good team like Real Madrid at nil in the match before was able to be rattled this way. Chelsea’s defense was not as easy to take advantage of, and PSG’s was lost in miscommunications and speed.

The match ended three to nothing as PSG walked away with the latter, and Chelsea won the FIFA Club World Cup. A seventh-place finish in the Premier League was sure to light a fire under the English team, as they wanted to end their season on a better note than that. However sweet a win is, it was sure to come with its downfalls as fights broke out between players and coaches, specifically Luis Enrique getting into a spat with Chelsea player João Pedro. The Chelsea celebrations were delayed, not denied, and they went on to lift the trophy and celebrate with the fans.