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Chelsea Crowned FIFA Club World Cup Champions

Chelsea were crowned FIFA Club World Cup champions after a commanding 3–0 victory over Paris Saint-Germain in the final held at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, in front of U.S. President Donald Trump and FIFA President Gianni Infantino.

Chelsea fully deserved the title, dominating from the first whistle thanks to a brilliant performance by Cole Palmer, who scored twice in the first half and assisted the third goal for new signing João Pedro, effectively sealing the win before halftime.

This triumph is a massive achievement for the English side, as it came against French and European champions PSG—heavily favored to win their fifth title of the season. PSG had looked unstoppable, thrashing Atlético Madrid and Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami 4–0 in the group stage, then knocking out Bayern Munich 2–0 with nine men in the quarterfinals, and humiliating Real Madrid 4–0 in the semis.

But Chelsea, under Italian manager Enzo Maresca and led by Palmer, defied expectations and handed PSG a heavy defeat, adding the Club World Cup to their UEFA Europa Conference League title this season.

Thanks to this three-goal performance, Chelsea restored pride for the Premier League, whose four representatives—Manchester City, Liverpool, Aston Villa, and Arsenal—were all eliminated by PSG in the Champions League this season.

The opening goal came after a huge error by Portuguese defender Nuno Mendes, who misjudged a long ball from Chelsea keeper Robert Sánchez. French fullback Malo Gusto picked it up and, despite failing on his initial attempt, regained possession and squared it to Palmer, who slotted it into the bottom right corner (22’).

PSG’s task became even harder when Palmer added a second in the 30th minute, receiving the ball on the right, cutting inside through a gap left by a poor challenge from Portuguese midfielder Vitinha, and firing low again into the same bottom right corner.

Before the end of the half, Chelsea struck a third blow as Palmer fed João Pedro, who coolly chipped the ball over Italian keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma (43’).

After the match, Palmer said: “It’s an amazing feeling. Even more so because everyone doubted us before the game—we knew that. To fight the way we did, it feels good.”

The tournament’s best player also praised manager Maresca: “The coach laid out a brilliant game plan. He knew where the space would be. He gave me freedom and I just had to repay him with some goals. He’s building something special, something meaningful. People have talked negatively about us all season, but I really believe we’re heading in the right direction.”

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