Cole Palmer stars as Chelsea claim stunning Club World Cup victory against PSG
Goalkeeper Robert Sanchez was also outstanding as the Blues, who had been clear underdogs at the MetLife Stadium, secured a jackpot in excess of £90million as the first winners of FIFA's new 32-team tournament.
FIFA CLUB WORLD CUP WINNERS!!! 🏆 pic.twitter.com/KnbFOjfqzg
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) July 13, 2025
PSG lost their discipline in the closing stages and Joao Neves was sent off with five minutes remaining for pulling the hair of Marc Cucurella.
FIFA, the world governing body, had been determined to make the occasion, which was attended by US President Donald Trump, a huge success.
The pre-match programme, which included a performance from Robbie Williams and a US Air Force flyover, overran and led to a kick-off delay – but Chelsea all but had the game wrapped up before Doja Cat appeared at half-time.
It was a remarkable achievement against a PSG side that had been chasing their fifth trophy of a glorious season.
Palmer, the Conference League final match-winner, was at his dazzling best and many in the stadium thought he had opened the scoring after eight minutes when he curled narrowly wide from a Pedro flick.
PSG should have made the most of that reprieve and taken the lead themselves after Fabian Ruiz played in Desire Doue, but he opted to pass instead of shoot and Cucurella cleared.
Doue did get an effort on goal shortly afterwards but Sanchez reacted well.
Palmer took charge of the match after 22 minutes when he placed a left-foot shot perfectly into the bottom corner after Malo Gusto had seen his own attempt blocked.
PSG were left reeling when he repeated the feat just eight minutes later.
This time Palmer created the opportunity himself, latching onto a long ball from Levi Colwill and cutting inside from the right, and the finish was every bit as composed.
He was not finished there either, turning provider before the interval to slip Pedro through on goal.
The Brazilian, who scored twice on his full debut in the semi-final win over Fluminense, showed equally great composure to lift the ball over Gianluigi Donnarumma.
Mr Trump said he was 'having a really great time' when interviewed by broadcaster DAZN at half-time and the Chelsea fans in the 81,118 crowd would doubtless have said likewise after such a scintillating display.
PSG rallied but Sanchez kept out a header from Neves and then showed brilliant reflexes to paw away a close-range snap-shot on the turn from Ousmane Dembele.
Liam Delap had a superb effort pushed away by Donnarumma within moments of coming off the Chelsea bench and went close again soon after.
PSG were beaten and frustration was evident as Neves clashed with Cucurella and earned a red card after tugging at the Spaniard's hair.
There were further scuffles after the final whistle as Chelsea's squad and staff poured onto the field to celebrate and PSG manager Luis Enrique was involved in an ugly incident with Pedro.
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The Sun
19 minutes ago
- The Sun
‘I was confused' – Cole Palmer and Reece James open up on Donald Trump's Club World Cup celebrations with Chelsea stars
COLE PALMER and Reece James were left confused after Donald Trump celebrated with them as they lifted the Club World Cup. Chelsea won the tournament by beating Paris Saint-Germain 3-0 on Sunday, with Palmer on target twice before laying on an assist for Joao Pedro to add a cheeky third before half-time. 4 4 4 4 But as the Blues geared up for the trophy lift ceremony, they were threatened with being upstaged by US President Trump. The 79-year-old was seen handing out many of the medals alongside Fifa president Gianni Infantino, before the pair lifted the trophy over to Chelsea captain James. However, while typically political figures would be expected to exit the stage at that point to give the team their moment to shine, Trump remained alongside the team with a beaming smile. Trump appeared to be gestured away from the stage initially by Infantino, before James, 25, was seen asking him, "Are you staying?" The Republican had also inadvertently blocked the view of Golden Ball winner Palmer, who had a confused look on his face as he was also seen asking James, "What's he doing?" Speaking after the game, Palmer, 23, and James both admitted they were surprised about the turn of events. Palmer told the BBC: "I knew he was going to be here but I didn't know he was going to be on the stand when we lifted the trophy so I was a bit confused, yeah." Captain James added to Sky Sports: "Before they told me he (Trump) was going to present the trophy and then exit the stage. "Then I thought he was going to exit the stage but he wanted to stay." Following the game Trump revealed he had a good time, and joked he would even consider signing an executive order to change America's naming of "soccer" to football for next summer's World Cup. Club World Cup final crowd's reaction to Donald Trump This summer's Club World Cup served as a preamble for the coveted international tournament next summer, which Fifa estimate will see 6.5 million visitors to stadiums across the US, Canada and Mexico. Trump's appearance at the MetLife stadium was met by a mixture of applause and boos by the crowd, exactly one year on from the assassination attempt he survived in Pennsylvania at an election rally.
The Guardian
22 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Palmer's casually jaw-dropping Club World Cup final show propels him into big time
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Luis Enrique explains angry Joao Pedro clash after Chelsea shock PSG in Club World Cup final
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