Contents
You may be interested in: Luka Modric, new Milan player
Joao Pedro extended his brilliant start with Chelsea
Donald Trump, President of the United States, headed the box and witnessed firsthand an absolutely outstanding performance by Chelsea, who went from less to more in this tournament until they were crowned by nullifying a PSG that had dominated Europe this year with an iron fist. Palmer sealed a memorable recital with two goals and an assist for Joao Pedro. The Brit was a constant headache on the right for Nuno Mendes. For his part, Joao Pedro extended his brilliant start with Chelsea. The Brazilian striker officially joined on July 2, debuted just two days later in the quarterfinals against Palmeiras, was a starter on July 8 and scored his team’s two goals in the semifinals against Fluminense and this Sunday scored his third goal. Moisés Caicedo, who was doubtful due to ankle discomfort, was a titan in midfield and goalkeeper Robert Sánchez also stood out with several interventions of great merit.
Huge first half for Chelsea
The Chelsea’s start against PSG was formidable. With a bold and surprising bet by Maresca to suffocate PSG and to go all out on the attack, Enzo Fernández positioned himself alongside Joao Pedro at the forefront of the pressure while Pedro Neto and Palmer focused on providing support on the flanks to close down the incursions of Achraf Hakimi and Nuno Mendes. Out of sorts and out of position, PSG suffered early on in defense and Palmer had a very clear chance after a delightful collective play in which Joao Pedro left him the ball with his back to the goal. The English player’s shot passed so close to the crossbar that it deceived a large part of the stadium’s stands.The first quarter of an hour was all blue but PSG managed to settle down and took control of the pace. They enjoyed a gigantic opportunity thanks to a great pass from Fabián Ruiz, but Désiré Doué was too generous and instead of shooting, he looked for an assist for Hakimi that Cucurella cut off.
Shortly after, Palmer’s exhibition began.
The Chelsea figure made up for the previous miss after Malo Gusto stole the ball from an unknown Nuno Mendes throughout the afternoon. The ball ended up on the edge of the area and Palmer defined wonderfully with his left foot in the 22nd minute to Donnarumma’s right post. Just eight minutes later, Palmer completed his brace with a similar play. With Vitinha covering the right side in an emergency, Palmer did as he pleased until he got into the area and scored with a shot practically identical to the first one. The PSG seemed knocked out after only half an hour. Neither Vitinha, nor Fabián Ruiz nor Joao Neves could lubricate a totally thick circulation. In attack, Ousmane Dembélé was totally missing. Instead, Chelsea was flying with their counterattacks and hitting the backs of the Parisian full-backs again and again. The icing on the cake of an exceptional first half was provided by Joao Pedro in the 43rd minute, scoring after a pass from an unstoppable Palmer.
Robert Sánchez Shines Between the Posts
PSG tried to stretch themselves in the restart with a more active Vitinha. Luis Enrique’s team came close to scoring with a shot from the Portuguese player and, above all, with a shot from Dembélé in the heart of the area that Robert Sánchez deflected with a great save. However, Chelsea maintained their strength. Enzo Fernández retired due to injury and Liam Delap, replacing Joao Pedro, was very close to further extending the Londoners’ lead. The end of the match was abrupt, with constant squabbles and reproaches between the players. Joao Neves was sent off and after the final whistle there were again discussions, also with the coaching staff involved, which marred the outcome of an otherwise spectacular victory for Chelsea.
