Chelsea Are Club World Cup Semifinalists: Takeaways As Blues Emerge Victorious From Thriller vs. Palmeiras | OneFootball

Chelsea dispatched Palmeiras 2–1 and march on to the Club World Cup semifinals in a game that ended up being closer than it appeared in the first half.

The Blues stormed out of the gate and Cole Palmer scored a wonderful goal to open the scoring before the break. Then, Palmeiras answered early in the second half with a rocket of a hit from future Blue Estêvão Willian.

The game was in the balance from then on, but a calamitous error from El Verdão’s goalkeeper saw Chelsea retake the lead with less than 10 minutes to go in the contest. The Blues wouldn’t lose the lead again, seeing out the game with poise to move on to the semifinals.

Enzo Maresca’s side are now 90 minutes away from a shot at lifting the trophy. They’ll face Fluminense, their third Brazilian rival of the tournament, in the semifinals. The Blues will be favorites in the clash coming off a deserved victory, yet, there’s still room for improvement.

Takeaways from Chelsea’s win below.

A Tale of Two Halves

Enzo Maresca’s team played were stellar in the first half and equally as shaky in the second. / Lee Smith-Reuters via Imagn Images

Despite scoring just one goal, Chelsea’s first half was their best half of football since the second against Real Betis that clinched the Conference League title in late May.

Maresca’s side dominated Palmeiras in every area, countering the Brazilian’s physicality with their superior quality across the pitch. The Blues had close to 70% possession and over 150 more passes completed in the first 45 minutes. They also had nine total shots to El Verdão’s one.

There were passages of the opening half where Maresca’s system looked perfectly implemented, with clear attacking patterns developing and a very well-organized press that saw Chelsea recover the ball with ease.

Then, came the second half.

Chelsea looked like a different team immediately out of the tunnel. They instantly looked on the back foot against a more aggressive Palmeiras side. It only took eight minutes for El Verdão to level the scoring thanks to a superb finish from future Chelsea player Estêvão Willian.

The Blues never settled after the equalizer, failing to control the match as they did in the first half and looking out of shape constantly. Palmeiras had number of attacks where their forwards had a lot of space to operate, looking menacing and only lacking sharpness in the final action.

Chelsea will be happy with the outcome of the match, but they could’ve just as easily been eliminated from the Club World Cup with that second half performance. Maresca’s side are yet to deliver a complete performance over 90 minutes in the tournament and that must change if they’re going to challenge for the title.

Welcome to the Club World Cup, Cole Palmer

Cole Palmer was stellar vs. Palmeiras. / Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

Against Palmeiras, Palmer looked back to his brilliant best. The England international was the best player on the pitch, and by a considerable margin.

Palmer’s movement to find space between the lines was stellar, his technique—especially his first touch— was as sharp as could be. He looked active and engaged, constantly asking for the ball in the right half-space, where he’s at his best, but even dropping down to the base of midfield to dictate attacks. Off the ball, he was just as good, pressing tirelessly, leading to a handful of recoveries.

His goal was sublime, vintage 2023–24 Palmer, but there were more actions similar to the goal where his brilliance was on full display. Emiliano Martínez, his main marker on the night, was chasing shadows all game and will certainly have nightmares of Chelsea’s No.10.

It’s been an up-and-down year for Palmer, but against Palmeiras, he reminded the world of his talent and why he’s considered one of the Premier League’s best.

Blues’ 2025–26 Reinforcements Shine

João Pedro had a promising Chelsea debut. / Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

João Pedro made his Chelsea debut only two days after his transfer from Brighton became official and made an instant impact.

Pedro created two chances and completed both of his attempted dribbles, only missing a goal to crown what was a very strong debut with the Blues. The former Brighton man looked fresh, energetic and active, with his teammates constantly looking for him to create dangerous actions.

Liam Delap has already shown promise this tournament but, although he had arguably his worst showing of the competition, Pedro was there to pick up the pieces. Furthermore, Pedro wasn’t the only Brazilian that looked good in the game.

Chelsea fans were eager to see how Estêvão would look against his future teammates. Well, the 18-year-old was comfortably Palmeiras’ most dangerous player, sealing his performance with a thunderous goal that threatened Chelsea’s place in the semifinals.

The outcome couldn’t have been better for Chelsea. In the words of Maresca, “Happy because we won and happy because Estêvão scored. It was the perfect night.”

Chelsea’s new attackers were difference-makers, and Jamie Gittens walking on the pitch in Chelsea gear after the match as Palmer and other players exchanged words with Estêvão was perhaps the cherry on top of the quarterfinals victory.