Chelsea boss Maresca hails 'great triumph' in winning Club World Cup
Maresca only took over at Chelsea a year ago but was previously on the coaching staff under Pep Guardiola at Manchester City when they won the Champions League in 2023.
"I was lucky to be on the coaching staff of a team that won the Champions League a few years ago, but this competition features the best teams in the world and I think we can value it on the same level," said the Italian.
"It is a great triumph for us and it will allow the Chelsea fans to have that on our shirt for the next four years, so it is a source of pride."
Maresca said he instructed his players to go out and take the game to PSG from the off -- they went on to net all three goals in the first half with Cole Palmer netting a brace before Joao Pedro added his name to the scoresheet.
"The message was to let them understand that we were here to win the game and I think in the first 10 minutes we showed them that," Maresca said.
"That set the tone of the game, and then the quality of the players was also important."
England international Palmer was named player of the match after bagging a brace and setting up Joao Pedro's goal.
The 23-year-old therefore lived up to his superstar billing -- his face has appeared on billboards around New York advertising the tournament, alongside the likes of Real Madrid duo Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior.
"To score the goals was a great feeling, as was the way the team showed fire out there -- the gaffer's game plan was spot on," he said.
"I just try to do my job every time I go onto the pitch and hopefully I will continue.
"I have seen the billboards in Times Square and outside Madison Square Garden and it is obviously a nice feeling to be alongside those players," he added.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
France 24
2 hours ago
- France 24
England captain Stokes wants to 'lie on my bed' after India nail-biter
The all-rounder was named player of the match after scoring 77 runs and taking five wickets across the Test, in addition to an important first-innings run out of Rishabh Pant, as England went 2-1 up in a five-match series. Stokes put himself through a particularly gruelling stint on Monday's final day by bowling 19.2 energy-sapping overs on his way to leading England's attack with a second-innings return of 3-48. "I'm not going to lie, I cannot wait to just lie on my bed for four days and then be raring to go for (next week's fourth Test at) Manchester," Stokes told reporters. His position as a fully fledged all-rounder had been called into question by repeated knee problems but Stokes showed his worth to England as a lively medium-pacer on Monday. Stokes took the key wicket of India opener KL Rahul before bouncing out Jasprit Bumrah when the tailender was offering stout support to Ravindra Jadeja (61 not out) as the all-rounder guided his side towards a target of 193 after a collapse. The tense chase only ended when last man Mohammed Siraj unluckily played on to spinner Shoaib Bashir. Stokes has a deserved reputation for taking key wickets, with the 34-year-old saying: "I have got some history of turning up in moments like that with the ball. I was pretty pumped. "Bowling to win a Test match for your country on day five... if that doesn't get you going or up for going out there and putting in for your team, I don't know what will. "The game was on the line. Today it was going to be my decision on when I stopped bowling." England's win came six years to the day since their 2019 Worl Cup final win at Lord's, with Stokes, Jofra Archer, Joe Root and Chris Woakes the four survivors from that stunning Super Over success. Archer bowled the most tense six balls in England's limited-overs history and the memory of that day inspired Stokes to open the attack with him on Monday in what was the Sussex express quick's first Test after more than four years of injury-induced exile. Stokes' decision was vindicated by Archer ripping out dangerman Pant's off stump before the 30-year-old held an excellent caught and bowled chance to dismiss Washington Sundar in front of another capacity crowd at the Home of Cricket. "That was genuinely the reason why we went with it, it felt right in my tummy that Jof was going to do something this morning to break the game open," said Stokes. India, all but beaten at 82-7 shortly before lunch, still took the match into the final session with Jadeja, who batted for nearly four-and-a-half hours, doing a superb job of marshalling the tourists' much-criticised tail. "I'm extremely proud, this is as close as a Test match can get," said India captain Shubman Gill. Jadeja, 36, has now scored four consecutive fifties this series, with Gill adding: "He's very experienced. He was batting brilliantly with the tail." India made it clear before the series that Bumrah, the world's top-ranked Test bowler, would only appear in three of the five matches in order to protect his fitness following a back injury. The outstanding fast bowler has now played two, having also featured in a five-wicket defeat in the series opener at Headingley before being rested from India's mammoth 336-run in the second Test at Edgbaston. Gill, asked if Bumrah would feature at Old Trafford next week, gave little way in replying: "You'll get to know soon."
France 24
3 hours ago
- France 24
Real Madrid sign Benfica's Carreras to continue summer rebuild
The 22-year-old Spanish left-back, who played for Madrid's youth academy before joining Manchester United in 2020, is reported to have cost close to 50 million euros ($58 million). "Real Madrid and Benfica have reached an agreement for the transfer of Alvaro Carreras, who will be under contract with our club for the next six seasons, until 30 June 2031," said Los Blancos in a statement. The defender played 62 times for Benfica, scoring five goals for the club, including an initial loan spell before they signed him for six million euros from United in 2024. Carreras becomes Madrid's fourth signing of a significant summer rebuild after Trent Alexander-Arnold, Dean Huijsen and Franco Mastantuono, at an estimated cost of around 170 million euros in transfer fees. After finishing last season without a major trophy coach Carlo Ancelotti departed and was replaced by Xabi Alonso. The Spaniard steered Madrid to the Club World Cup semi-finals but they were hammered 4-0 by runners-up Paris Saint-Germain.
France 24
4 hours ago
- France 24
England take 2-1 series lead over India with thrilling Lord's win
India were on the brink of defeat at 147-9, still needing a further 46 runs to reach a victory target of 193, when last man Mohammed Siraj joined Ravindra Jadeja in the middle. Nevertheless, the pair batted on until after tea on the final day to give India hope of an improbable victory. But with India eyeing a stunning success, off-spinner Shoaib Bashir, who had been off the field for much of the match with a finger injury, had the final say. As Siraj played defensively, the ball spun back past him to dislodge the leg bail with the faintest of touches to leave India 170 all out. As the England fielders celebrated, the fiery Siraj was crestfallen as was his partner Jadeja who was left stranded on 61 not out -- his fourth consecutive fifty this series -- after batting for nearly four-and-a-half hours. England captain Ben Stokes bowled two lengthy spells Monday on his way to innings figures of 3-48 in 24 overs, with fast bowler Jofra Archer -- in his first Test after more than four years of injury-induced exile -- taking 3-55 in 16. 'Dark places' Lively medium-pacer Stokes, whose career has been blighted by knee injuries, again proved his worth to England as a fully-fledged all-rounder. "I thought I had taken myself to some pretty dark places before but today was... If bowling to win a Test for your country doesn't get you up, get you excited, then I don't know what does," Stokes told Sky Sports. "The game was on the line and nothing was going to stop me bowling." Victory came exactly six years to the day since Stokes and Archer both starred in England's dramatic 2019 50-over World Cup final win over New Zealand at Lord's. Both bowlers made early breakthroughs Monday, with player-of-the match Stokes saying the anniversary was behind his decision to open the bowlig with Archer. "Jof played a big role in that and I just had one of those feelings he would do something special," said Stokes. The 30-year-old Archer added: "It was pretty hectic for the first game back. I probably bowled a few more overs than I thought I would have but every single one mattered today so I'm not too fussed about it." India were all but beaten at 112-8 when tailender Jasprit Bumrah came out to bat immediately after lunch. But Jadeja and Bumrah kept England at bay with a stubborn stand of 35 in 22 overs. "I think the position in the morning, to make a comeback like this was tremendous from Ravindra Jadeja and the lower order," said India captain Shubman Gill. Bumrah, defying a run of four successive noughts in Test cricket, defended gamely while making five in 54 balls only for his innings to end when he top-edged a pull off Stokes to substitute fielder Sam Cook at mid-on. India were now 147-9 -- a position that meant tea was delayed by 30 minutes. But Jadeja, who overturned an lbw decision given against him on 26, went to fifty when a flashing cut off Stokes flew over the slips for the left-hander's fourth four in 150 balls faced. Shortly after tea, Archer struck Siraj a painful blow on the shoulder and it was not long before he fell to Bashir. This match became a second-innings shoot-out after both teams made 387 in their first innings. England then posted 192 before India slumped to 58-4 when Stokes bowled nightwatchman Akash Deep with what became the last ball of Sunday's play. From 71-4 on Monday, the match swung England's way once more as India lost three wickets for 11 runs in collapsing to 82-7. Rishabh Pant -- who only came into bat on Monday following Deep's departure -- charged down the pitch to drive Archer for a typically aggressive four. But two balls later Archer, repeatedly topping the 90 mph mark, bowled the dangerman for nine with a superb full-length delivery that clipped the top of off stump. India were looking to KL Rahul to anchor their chase after the opener's first-innings hundred. But he had added just six runs to his overnight 33 when he was lbw on review to Stokes. Archer, who made his Test debut at Lord's in 2019, then reduced India to 82-7 when he held a sharp one-handed caught and bowled chance to dismiss Washington Sundar for a duck.
