July 14, (THEWILL) — Chelsea overwhelmed Paris Saint-Germain 3–0 in the final of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup on Saturday at MetLife Stadium, sealing their second trophy of the season. First-half goals from Cole Palmer and João Pedro ensured the London side lifted the title against the run of pre-match expectations. It was a performance marked by tactical discipline and clinical finishing, dismantling a PSG side that had enjoyed a strong run in multiple competitions this year.
Palmer opened the scoring in the 23rd minute with a curling strike into the bottom left corner past Gianluigi Donnarumma. The 22-year-old struck again just 10 minutes later with a near-identical finish, leaving the French side stunned. João Pedro added a third before half-time following a well-timed counterattack, capping off a dominant spell that exposed the defensive gaps in Luis Enrique’s side.
PSG responded with more aggression in the second half, but were repeatedly denied by Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sánchez, who pulled off two key saves to frustrate Ousmane Dembélé and Vitinha. Despite enjoying more possession after the interval, PSG struggled to create meaningful chances, with Vitinha, Achraf Hakimi and Nuno Mendes unable to influence proceedings as they had in the semi-final against Real Madrid.
Tensions flared late in the match when João Neves received a straight red card for pulling Marc Cucurella’s hair, effectively ending any faint hope of a PSG fightback. The dismissal compounded a miserable night for the Ligue 1 champions, who failed to register a single goal for the first time in the tournament. Chelsea, by contrast, saw out the second half with composure, executing manager Enzo Maresca’s game plan to perfection.
The win adds the Club World Cup to Chelsea’s UEFA Conference League triumph earlier in the season. A fourth-place English Premier League finish has already guaranteed their return to the UEFA Champions League, and with new signings expected this summer, the club’s resurgence under Maresca appears to be gathering momentum ahead of the 2025/2026 campaign.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
