Palmer scores brace as Incredible Chelsea stun PSG to claim Club World Cup title
Chelsea made history Sunday by becoming the first FIFA Club World Cup (CWC) champions of the competition’s new era, comprehensively defeating Paris Saint-Germain 3-0 in the final at the MetLife Stadium. A Cole Palmer brace did the early damage, as Luis Enrique’s side were denied what would have been a remarkable clean sweep of silverware in 2024/25.
The group stages saw both of these European giants defeated by Brazilian sides, but they roared through their respective halves of the knockout tree to contest this showpiece event in the outskirts of New York City.
Spearheaded by semi-final hero Joao Pedro, Chelsea launched an initial barrage which nearly produced an opener when Palmer’s strike on eight minutes took a slight deflection off wide off Lucas Beraldo.
PSG responded by exploiting their opponents’ defensive frailties, and only a last-ditch Marc Cucurella interception stood between Désiré Doué’s pass and an unmarked Achraf Hakimi.
But Enzo Maresca had a clear gameplan, and PSG were powerless to resist the surging Blue sea.
Like a Hollywood hero rising to the occasion, Palmer devastated the opposition and delighted the Chelsea contingent with two sublime composed finishes within eight minutes, firstly rolling into the net from Malo Gusto’s lay-off, before a scintillating second that came after a twisting solo run.
Appropriately for a match introduced by Michael Buffer, the reigning European champions looked thoroughly punch-drunk after the second goal.
And when Palmer slipped Joao Pedro clean through for the Brazilian to adroitly chip a third over Gianluigi Donnarumma, it looked as though Les Parisiens’ superiority over Premier League sides – as shown in their UEFA Champions League (UCL) eliminations of Liverpool and Arsenal earlier this year – was to finally come to a swift and ruthless end.
FIFA CWC: Incredible Chelsea blow out favourites PSG
*As star boy, Palmer scores a brace
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