Pedro Scores Brace As Chelsea Reach Club World Cup Final

João Pedro scored a brace to lead Chelsea to a 2-0 win over Fluminense, booking a place in the final of the inaugural Club World Cup in America.

The 23-year-old Brazilian forward scored a match-winning brace against his boyhood club to hand his new club a place in the final of the competition.

He started his career at Fluminense in 2019 before moving to England to join Watford a year later.

Enzo Maresca made three changes to the side that defeated Palmeiras 2-1 in the quarter-finals.

Joao Pedro was handed his first start after his impressive cameo against Palmeiras while Moises Caicedo returned from suspension to take his place in the midfield, and Tosin Adarabioyo replaced the suspended Levi Colwill.

Nicolas Jackson took his place on the bench again as a new signing, Pedro was preferred ahead of him.

Pedro opened the scoring with a powerful effort from the edge of the box in the 18th minute to give Chelsea a deserved lead.

Fluminense thought they had been awarded a penalty after Trevoh Chalobah handled the ball in the box but the referee’s call was overturned by the VAR.

Marc Cucurella cleared the ball off the line to deny Fluminense an equaliser after Robert Sanchez was beaten at the near post.

Chelsea held on to go into the break with a 1-0 lead.

Pedro continued from where he stopped in the first half with another stunning goal in the 56th minute, producing a top class finish from Fernandez’s pass to beat Fluminense goalkeeper.

Tiago Silva made a goalline clearance to deny Nkunku the opportunity to make it three but Fluminense failed to trouble Chelsea as the Blues earned a vital victory to qualify for the final of the competition.

Pedro joined Chelsea from Brighton last week in a deal worth £60m and he followed up his impressive debut against Palmeiras with another stunning showing.

Chelsea will now face the winner between Real Madrid, and PSG in the Club World Cup final on Sunday.

Pedro Scores Brace As Chelsea Reach Club World Cup Final is first published on The Whistler Newspaper