The unique charm of Gianni Infantino’s summer of football is not lost on João Pedro. He flew in from a Brazilian beach last week and looks none the worse for it, having already paid back his £60m transfer fee with two brutal finishes after beating Chelsea to the Club World Cup final.
It was a curious way to mark his debut in Enzo Maresca’s attack. Fluminense have made João Pedro their first signing, but the Brazilians have been left frustrated in New Jersey, and they can’t complain about being left out. Despite complaints about Chelsea’s first-half penalty being overturned by Trevoh Chalobah in the one-sided semi-final, they have no worries about the fatigue of their Premier League season with the sporting benefits of the United States.
This young team has not been without its ups and downs, building on the momentum they have built on by qualifying for the Champions League and winning the Conference League last season. Chelsea feel they are growing. They will also be buoyed by Joao Pedro’s willingness to put the ball through his feet, who has shown he can create more depth than trickery since arriving from Brighton.
Worrying times for Nicolas Jackson, who has been given few starts since his red card against Flamengo last month and Liam Delap has been suspended for a game.There have been late goals for Jackson here, but his raw talent is evident when he gets to the ball. Delap and João Pedro will have to respond to the challenge. Otherwise, Chelsea will be afraid to go forward.
For now, the idea of returning to MetLife Stadium to face Real Madrid or Paris Saint-Germain in Sunday’s final is a farce. It is a curious occurrence, and there is something humorous about the fact that the fourth-best team in England is one win away from being crowned world champions. But Chelsea are moving on.The transformational impact on their finances cannot be overstated. They have spent more than £80m so far almost three times the amount of Delaps and will be close to £100m if they lift the trophy.
The concern for Maradona is whether Moisés Caicedo, the influential midfielder, will be fit for the final after twisting his ankle in the closing stages. Caicedo tried to play on but the pain was too much. Losing him is a huge blow, especially with Roméo Lavia and Dário Essugo both missing here.
But the European final beckoned. Chelsea, without Levi Colwill in defence, were forced to push Fluminense back from the start in temperatures reaching 35C. Brazil were the oldest team in the competition and had their fair share of problems with the heat.
Chelsea’s attacking formation was abysmal. There was no room for Noni Madueke, who had been linked with Arsenal, to continue. Pedro Neto had moved to the left and the renewed Christopher Nkunku had drifted out to the right, causing problems.
The former Chelsea centre-back was too careless when he cleared Neto’s cross. The ball fell to Joao Pedro, who didn’t hesitate to punish his former club. He showed off his link-up play against Palmeiras, this time setting himself up and ripping a curling shot past Fábio.
Chelsea wasted chances to extend their lead. Their intensity had waned before half-time and Fluminense were on the move. Marc Cucurella was cleared by Hércules off the line.Chalobah was given a free kick after handling the cross. French referee François Letexier overturned his decision to award a penalty after reviewing the situation on the sidelines.
Fluminense did not give up.The second half saw a change of pace in attack, with Everton taking the lead with a free kick to Robert Sánchez. But Chelsea had more space. Cole Palmer and Enzo Fernández countered with a superb cross to set up João Pedro.
The Brazilian had a lot to do.He made it look easy.This time, João Pedro cut inside, opened his body and used his right foot to drive the ball up the back of the net.
Chelsea continued to dominate, with Nkunku coming close twice. They scored two goals. The final commitment paid off, but world domination was out of reach.
