João Pedro double sends Chelsea to Club World Cup Final | OneFootball

João Pedro marked his first start for Chelsea with a brilliant brace against his boyhood club, guiding the Blues to a 2–0 win over Fluminense in New Jersey and into the Club World Cup final.

The Brazilian forward, a product of Fluminense’s academy, found the net in both halves but chose not to celebrate either goal out of respect for his former side. Even so, he was unquestionably the standout performer on the night.

First-half control

Enzo Maresca’s side started the brighter of the two, controlling possession and applying steady pressure down both flanks with Pedro Neto particularly lively on the left.

The opening goal arrived on 18 minutes after Neto burst past his man and whipped in a dangerous ball. Thiago Silva's clearance only reached João Pedro, who controlled well and rifled a stunning strike into the top corner.

Fluminense struggled to create clear chances but came close through Hércules, whose effort looked destined to level things up until Marc Cucurella popped up to clear off the line.

There was late first-half drama when a VAR check overturned a penalty decision for a handball against Trevoh Chalobah, much to the relief of the travelling Chelsea support.

João seals it

The second half followed a similar pattern: Chelsea in control, Fluminense looking for inspiration. The former Brighton forward delivered the killer blow just before the hour mark. Set free by Enzo Fernández on the counter, he shrugged off Ignácio, cut inside, and unleashed a fierce shot that clipped the underside of the bar before bulging the net. A thunderous finish to make it 2–0 and effectively end the contest.

The Blues rang the changes late on, with Reece James, Noni Madueke and Dewsbury-Hall among those introduced to see out the result.

There was a brief scare when Moisés Caicedo limped off after a knock to his heel, but initial signs suggest it’s nothing too serious.

The Brazilian side had a couple of half-chances in the closing stages - Everaldo tried an audacious bicycle kick and Keno caused the odd problem - but they couldn’t break Chelsea’s solid defensive shape.

Chelsea now await the winner of Paris Saint-Germain vs Real Madrid, who square off on Wednesday, for Sunday’s final.