How Chelsea stunned Paris Saint-Germain in a one-sided Club World Cup final

The World Cup Final on Sunday between Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain would always be a must-watch match for football fans around the world.

Before a ball was even kicked between the reigning conference league and the winners of the Champions League, they had shared 30 goals between them in their games on their way to the showpiece event in Metlife Stadium.

The chance was stacked against Chelsea

191 attempts between those during those competitions and only six goals have admitted – five of the Western Londers – and the two teams are with the most collective passes in the tournament, meant that part of the story was already written before the competition.

In Vitinha (666 passes), Achraf Hakimi (473) and Willian Pacho (362), PSG also had three of the top four passers -by – Joshua Kimmich van Bayern the other – in the competition.

Enzo Maresca on PSG Prior to the Club World Cup Finalopta perform by statistics

Luis Enrique had already spoken to pre-match about his team to make history, so if the side of Enzo Maresca wanted to jump a surprise, they would have to control the areas in midfield while they were aware of how quickly PSG was in the break.

Playing a high line would therefore not be an option for the men of Stamford Bridge.

Since 2012, when Chelsea was defeated by Corinthians, a reigning Champions League winner did not win the CWC, so the opportunities were stacked in favor of the French giants.

Stunning atmosphere in Metlife Stadium

A cacophony of noise and visual stimuli greeted the players when they were introduced in a capacity prospect of. Marquinhos led PSG in his 22nd career with them, and he had been on the winning side in 19 of the previous 21. However, he and his colleagues were on the back foot in the opening changes, since Chelsea pressed high and fast.

Cole Palmer was consistently involved and had two shots of the target in the first 10 minutes alone. With Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez in the Groove in midfield, PSG had difficulty starting their own passing game.

PSG approached the quarter and still hadn't had a shot, the longest they had gone at the start of a CWC match without a (11:17 vs. Seattle Sounders who are the previous longest).

Chelsea's Shot -hit list versus psgopta performing statistics

The more physical style of Chelsea had beat their opponents out of their pass, and the first time PSG had something like half a chance, Doue chose to pass (and then lose possession) instead of taking his chance against Robert Sanchez.

He finally removed their first shot at 18 minutes, with the Chelsea keeper getting a strong hand on the ball to keep the game aimless.

Cole Palmer illuminated Chelsea in the lead

The distribution of a number of blues players was on point to supplement the powerful nature of their game, with all Marc Cucurella, Levi Colwill, Trevoh Chalobah and Pedro Neto that offer 100% passing statistics in the first 20 minutes.

As half developed, PSG began to get more joy with the right channel with Hakimi and Doue those positions easily exchanged, but it was Chelsea who first struck while PSG's defense went to sleep, so that Malo Gusto could eventually find Palmer for the opener.

The youngest Chelsea scorer in a final since Kai Havertz in the 2022 CWC Final vs Palmeiras, the English international had his side in an extremely favorable position, given that when the CWC scored, the West Londoners had a record of W5, D0, L1.

Moreover, the team that had first scored in the knockout rounds of the competition 13 of the 14 games had won for the final.

PSG cannot keep Palmer at bay

Just before half an hour Palmer was working on it again. Another ball over the top exposed PSG's defensive shortcomings, with the number 10 that grasps the pass before he delivers an almost identical finish to set up Chelsea two.

10 touches in the PSG box compared to two on the other end by the Ligue 1 side was a clear enough indicator of how well the men of Enzo Maresca kept their illustrious opponents remotely.

They found space in all areas of the field, but were just as happy to give up the property. Only 30.3% of the time did the Premier League outfit hold the ball, and yet they were a lot decided with it.

Chelsea vs PSG Match Statsopta perform by statistics

Joao Neves, who won seven of the nine first half of duels, was a bright spot under the enveloping gloom when Chelsea continued to dominate and was a good value for their lead. If the blues were in the heat without steam, Neves could at least offer a kind of impulse as long as his teammates were on the same wavelength.

Three yellow cards for the blues quickly hinted one after the other on their intensity that might have become better of them if the heat didn't.

Joao Pedro seals the victory for Chelsea for the break

The French side to keep playing back to their own goal to build a Steam head, told his own story.

Ousmane Dembele, who was clearly expected to be one of the Dangermen for the Champions League holders, was really out of the color. It was from his giveaway to one end so that Chelsea could cut PSG again and for Joao Pedro to end the movement with a beautiful chip about Gianluigi Donnarumma.

Colwill and Gusto who recovered three times to recover possession were a benchmark for a team that went hunting in packages until the whistle before the end of an action -packed first half.

Dembele, Vitinha, Doue and Kvicha Kvaratskhelia, on the other hand, had lost the ball on 22 separate occasions, with only Joao Neves who adds to Doue's early shot in half.

Chelsea vs PSG Momentum Shiftopta perform by statistics

It is not an exaggeration to suggest that after 45 minutes PSG resembled the team that had accepted all people in 2024/25, and that must be attributed to the way Chelsea closed the spaces and doubled defensively to put crosses in the box.

Until now, unseen weaknesses were fully operated by Maresca, making PSG with a mountain to climb.

Superbowl style half-time break

After a long-term half-time break to take into account a 'Superbowl-style' half-time entertainment, PSG started to start the second half of the second half by immediately starting the ball in the touch and it only succeeds in giving the initiative back to their opponents.

Nuno Mendes soon got a run on the Chelsea -Backline with an attempt to cross directly to Sanchez's gloves. Kvaratskhelia then poked the fingers of the keeper – his 22nd shot of the CWC, more than any other player – played with less than two minutes of half, so there was already an improvement of a PSG side with nothing to lose.

The influence of Vitinha also started to grow because he was given more room in midfield, and his 115 touches in general were much more than any other player who could be seen. An inability to effectively deliver its usual excellence on the largest stage, but Hamt in a side that all had no ideas anymore.

Dembele was the next to extend Sanchez while he was well placed, but that fourth shot on goal – one more than Chelsea could have been managed – came to nothing. Unfortunately it was also in accordance with the slowness in PSG's general game at night.

The introduction of Bradley Barcola Just before the hour saw him a 64th appearance of the campaign, more than all his PSG teammates, and the enforced replacement of Enzo Fernandez then handed andrey Santos the chance to help relieve his home.

PSG brought the game to their opponents, but for all their industry the chances of a premium and Sanchez remained the same as everything that came his way with five saves that went a long way to retain Chelsea's lead.

Delap within centimeters of a dream introduction

Within 30 seconds after rising, Liam Delap made a chance for himself, and only the fingertips of Donnarumma stopped the dream introduction of the former Ipswich man. The gigantic Italian would be the same as another Delap -opportunity with 11 to play, those two chances in 23 minutes as much as every PSG player Bar Doue.

Eight interceptions of Chelsea and the goods in abundance from a backline that sometimes had no fewer than six players, meant that an atmosphere of dismissal seemed to crawl into the game of PSG in the last stages of the game.

Tempers flared up while things started to cook, and that only played right in the hands of Chelsea. Indeed, the late red card from Joao Neves for pulling Cucurella's Haar summarized the game from a PSG perspective.

In the aftermath of what was a solid defeat for them, they will have to think about whether complacency played a role in how they approached the game.

The tactic of Maresca, instead of a lack of goal on the part of Luis Enrique, is certainly the most important collection meal of a fantastic night for the West Londers, and this victory gives Chelsea the new Premier League season for the new Premier League season.

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