João Pedro Hits The Ground Running As Chelsea Conquer Club World Cup | OneFootball

He’s only been at Chelsea for what feels like a matter of minutes, yet João Pedro has slotted in seamlessly, not only becoming a key figure in their run to the Club World Cup trophy, but looking like he’s been a Chelsea player all along, something that’s rare for new arrivals at the club. After completing a £60 million move from Brighton, Pedro wasted no time heading to the United States for Chelsea’s Club World Cup clash against Palmeiras. It was a swift return to action for Pedro, who had been on the beach just two weeks earlier before finding himself on the global stage.

Coming on as a substitute on his debut, Pedro helped Chelsea to a 2-1 victory over Brazilian side Palmeiras, setting up a clash with his former club, Fluminense, which few predicted on Betway online sports betting. Fluminense was the club where he began his career, learned the game, and developed into the player he is today. And how did he repay them? By delivering a man-of-the-match performance, scoring twice.

The first goal was fantastic. Pedro controlled the ball on the edge of the box, cut inside, and fired it past Fábio, who had no chance of stopping it. Then, in the second half, to kill the game off, he ran straight at the Fluminense back line before thundering the ball into the back of the net, sealing Chelsea’s place in the Club World Cup final.

After the game, his manager Enzo Maresca said,

“I am very happy for João. He has the quality to decide games like today, but he has also had a holiday, so he is probably a bit fresher compared to the rest.

“We knew what João was like. We brought him in because this season we faced many teams with low blocks, and his quality is very good against these kinds of teams.

“We are very happy and very proud to be in the final on Sunday because this is the first edition of the Club World Cup and the best clubs in the world are here.”

Then came the final, against a Paris Saint-Germain side who had swept almost everyone aside over the last six months. But Chelsea didn’t follow that script. They dominated the match, thanks to relentless high pressing from the front — no doubt influenced by João Pedro’s tireless work rate, something Brighton had once benefited from and used to great effect.

The energy and pressure from Chelsea caught PSG completely by surprise. Cole Palmer opened the scoring with two superb goals, and once again, Pedro stepped up to complete the performance. The Brazilian netted his third goal in just three matches for Chelsea, finishing off a brilliant move started by Palmer. After some slick interplay, Pedro produced a delightful dink over the onrushing Gianluigi Donnarumma to make it 3-0 — the final score as Chelsea lifted the Club World Cup.  A perfect start to life at Chelsea for the Brazilian.

Chelsea will now have a short break before kicking off their next set of pre-season fixtures. They begin against Southern Premier League side Sholing, likely fielding a reserve or mixed squad, before facing Bayer Leverkusen in August, followed by AC Milan. They’ll then open their Premier League campaign against Crystal Palace on Sunday, 17th August. No doubt, Pedro and his teammates will be licking their lips at the prospect of challenging for the Premier League title after their towering performance at the Club World Cup.