PLAYER RATINGS | Chelsea 3-0 PSG: Les Parisiens demolished in Club World Cup final by rampant Blues | OneFootball

Paris Saint-Germain took to the field dreaming of a historic quintuplet, but were left to finish the 2024/25 season in bruising circumstances as they were demolished 3-0 by Chelsea FC in the FIFA Club World Cup final.

The Match

PSG had entered this match dreaming of a historic quintuplet, but it was clear from the first whistle that they needed to wake up. Les Parisiens were not given a moment to settle on the ball, and the early warning signs were there when space opened up on the edge of the box for Cole Palmer to whistle wide.

The near miss seemed to spark something in the Champions League winners. Désiré Doué was given two chances, the first he opted to pass rather than shoot and his unselfish act fell into the lap of Marc Cucurella, and in the second, his effort was denied by Robert Sánchez. However, this threat was short-lived, as Chelsea had spotted something no other team had found: a weak link in the imperious armour.

The Blues continually launched long balls down Nuno Mendes’s wing, forcing him into one-on-one contests. And in the 22nd minute, they found their opener. Malo Gusto received the ball and left Mendes tumbling to the ground. The former Olympique Lyonnais man fired a shot off, but was blocked by Lucas Beraldo.

However, the ball fell kindly for the full-back and he offered up a second bite of the cherry to Palmer. The Englishman poked a low shot into the bottom left-hand corner to give the UEFA Europa Conference League champions the lead. It was déjà vu eight minutes later, when Palmer swept inside from the right, lost Vitinha, and then hit the same corner.

PSG’s misery continued minutes before the end of the first half. Palmer spotted the space between Beraldo and Mendes to provide João Pedro with an inch-perfect pass. The recent signing stormed into a one-on-one with Gianluigi Donnarumma and then dinked his shot over the Italian keeper.

Something had to change for PSG. They had looked like a pale imitation of themselves, and it was clear that Luis Enrique had lit a fire underneath them during the half-time break, as they came out with far more intensity. However, they still couldn’t find a route past an inspired Sánchez.

The Spaniard has struggled during his time at Chelsea to convincingly win over hearts and minds, and the club have been linked this summer with Mike Maignan. However, in this final, he was exceptional. He denied Ousmane Dembélé at near point-blank range before later preventing a long effort from Vitinha with a fingertip save.

Les Parisiens needed an early goal to change the game, but instead they grew frustrated and as the game wore on close to the end, that finally spilt over. João Neves clashed frequently with Cucurella and, in a silly decision, pulled the full-back’s hair. The incident was missed by the referee, but in a VAR review, it was an easy red card to give.

A new era in the French capital would come unstuck in humiliating circumstances as nothing seemed to go their way from the first whistle. While Chelsea had arrived with an intelligent game plan that worked phenomenally well, they would become the deserved world champions.

Chelsea Player Ratings

Robert Sánchez, 9

If not for Cole Palmer, Robert Sánchez would be Man of the Match. He had a brilliant game. When PSG thought they had finally burst through the Blue Wall they were met with a keeper ready to swallow up every danger.

Marc Cucurella, 8

The Spaniard was at his best. In defence, he was exactly where he needed to be at each moment, and in the second half, he was perfecting the dark arts. He did just enough to wind up an already frustrated PSG, which worked perfectly as they were so focused on him that they lost sight of the bigger picture.

Levi Colwill, 7

Trevoh Chalobah, 7

Malo Gusto, 8

Enzo Fernández, 7

Moisés Caicedo, 8

Reece James, 7

Pedro Neto, 7

João Pedro, 8

Cole Palmer, 10

The Englishman was peerless. Instrumental in each of the three goals, scoring two and assisting one. This was his final, much like the Champions League final was defined by Désiré Doué.

PSG player ratings

Gianluigi Donnarumma, 3

Nuno Mendes, 2

A terrible night for a player who had spent the Champions League knockouts pocketing the world’s best wingers. Chelsea were brave and richly rewarded for targeting him. He had a night to forget, unable to show either his attacking or defensive talent.

Lucas Beraldo, 2

Lucas Beraldo is highly valued by Luis Enrique as an option in defence when his first-choice’s are unavailable. However, his limitations were exposed tonight. You have to wonder whether Chelsea would have had so much joy attacking Mendes if Wilian Pacho was there to provide cover.

Marquinhos, 4

Achraf Hakimi, 4

Fabián Ruiz, 5

Vitinha, 4

João Neves, 4

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, 4

Ousmane Dembélé, 3

Ahead of this match, it seemed like nothing would stand in the Frenchman’s way, not least the Ballon d’Or. By all rights, he deserves that trophy even after this match, but the forward went missing in this game, and he struggled to take charge of a match that needed his influence. Football can be fickle, and this final could live long in voters’ memories.

Désiré Doué, 5

GFFN | Nick Hartland