East Rutherford, New Jersey
CNN
–
Chelsea defeated Paris Saint-Germain, a shocking 3-0 victory over Paris Saint-Germain in Sunday’s FIFA Club World Cup final in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
And blues star Cole Palmer led the way to the second CWC title in the storied history of the British Premier League side since 2021.
Palmer netted the early braces with two almost identical targets for just eight minutes midway through the first half.
The 23-year-old performed his signature “cold” celebration at the New Jersey Heat at MetLife Stadium, rejoicing the joys of Chelsea fans.
European champion PSG felt like he had dominated the CWC, in addition to his 1-0 loss to Botafogo in the group stage. However, Sunday got worse for the French side when the afternoon went up.
Joan Pedro got his second start for the Blues after a transfer from Brighton and Hove Albion, scoring another goal in the 43rd minute.
Following PSG’s Chelsea’s first half surprise trio was another unexpected twist during the halftime show. British rock band Coldplay appeared in a cameo performance featuring J Balvin, Doja Cat, Tems and Emmanuel Kelly.
The goal scored slower in the second half, but Chelsea’s intensity didn’t suffer as they kept PSG in a win.
Les Parisience finished his match with 10 players after midfielder Joan Neves received the red card after pulling the hair of Chelsea defender Mark Cukrera.
After the umpire blew the whistle full-time, the Chelsea player wore a “World Champion” and a kit of No. 25, rushing to the pitch to celebrate the trophy.
The CWC victory concludes an impressive season for the London-based club.
The Blues finished fourth in the EPL and won the UEFA Champions League berth next season after a 4-1 victory over Larigaside Real Betis in the UEFA Conference League final in May.
Palmer finished the season with an impressive 18 goals just two years after joining the Manchester City club.
The forward called it a “great sense” to win the tournament and praised Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca for his leadership.
“Gafar has put out a great game plan,” Palmer told FIFA after the match. “He knew where the space was and tried to free me as much as possible. I had to pay him off and set some goals. He (Malesca) is building something special.
Italian 45-year-old Maresca, who joined Lesister City’s blues this season, has given his players credit for the victory.
“I don’t have words for the players,” Maresca said. “For me, we won the game in the first 10 minutes. We set the tempo and knew how to play. Today we found a Cole (Palmer) position with more space to attack. The effort from all the players was great.”
Despite historic UCL victory, it was a somewhat sour way to finish off a season when the Paris-based club tried to complete the square after also winning Ligue 1 and Coupede France.
According to the Associated Press, PSG has not lost on three goals since the 4-1 Champions League defeat at Newcastle in October 2023.
Frustration from the game boiled after the final mouth whi in conflict with Pedro and PSG goalkeeper Genluigi Donnaruma and manager Luis Enrique.
After the brawl cooled, Maresca saw him talking to Donnaruma as she was heading to the locker room.
As tensions cooled, Donald Trump and FIFA President Gianni Infantino led trophy celebrations on the field, boosing from some fans in the stadium.
Palmer won the Golden Ball Award – given to the best player of the tournament.
Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez won the Golden Globe Award, while 20-year-old PSG forward Desire Doe was named the tournament’s best young player.
With Trump and Infantino in the middle of the stage, the Chelsea team lifted the trophy and officially celebrated the victory.
After the match, Enrique said he was trying to separate the players.
“There’s a lot of tension, a lot of pressure. … According to the AP, Enrique said through a translator.
“This is just the final result of the pressure from the game and there’s nothing else to add.”
Chelsea will have less than five weeks between the 2025-2026 EPL season and PSG will face Tottenham Hotspur on August 13th at the UEFA Super Cup in Study Oliuli in Udine, Italy.
