Chelsea booked their spot in the FIFA Club World Cup final after a commanding 2–0 victory over Brazilian side Fluminense at the MetLife Stadium on Tuesday night.
João Pedro marked his full debut in style, opening the scoring for the Blues in the 18th minute with a brilliant long-range strike.
The Brazilian forward pounced on a deflected cross from Pedro Neto, curling an unstoppable shot past Fábio Deivson to put the London side in front.
Fluminense, led by Renato Gaúcho, came into the clash full of confidence after an impressive run that saw them defeat Inter Milan and Al-Hilal and hold Borussia Dortmund to a goalless draw.
They made a bright start and tried to unsettle Chelsea with high pressing and quick attacks.
Their best chance of the first half came when Hércules Pereira broke free and slipped the ball past goalkeeper Robert Sánchez, only to be denied by a goal-line clearance from Marc Cucurella.
The Brazilian outfit thought they had earned a penalty soon after when Trevoh Chalobah was adjudged to have handled the ball, but VAR reversed the decision, drawing loud protests from Fluminense fans.
Despite the pressure, Chelsea controlled the tempo of the game, with Enzo Fernández pulling the strings in midfield.
Enzo Maresca’s men took a narrow lead into halftime, but returned from the break with renewed intensity.
Chelsea’s second came in the 56th minute, again through Pedro, who continued his superb showing.
Yhe former Brighton man latched onto a perfectly weighted pass from Fernández near the halfway line, beat his marker, and rifled a powerful shot in off the crossbar to double Chelsea’s advantage.
The Blues nearly added a third as Malo Gusto and Christopher Nkunku both went close, but couldn’t find the finishing touch.
Fluminense, meanwhile, ran out of ideas as Chelsea’s disciplined defensive setup shut down any hopes of a comeback.
The Premier League giants professionally managed the closing stages, securing a deserved 2–0 win and a place in Sunday’s final, where they’ll meet either Real Madrid or Paris Saint-Germain in the battle for world club supremacy.