Chelsea beat Paris in the final and are Club World Champions

Chelsea FC's jubilant substitutes stormed the pitch in blue victory shirts emblazoned with "World Champions" – and the disenchanted favorites, Paris Saint-Germain, were in a state of panic. Goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma and coach Luis Enrique joined in the rage and were hard to calm down after the 3-0 (0-3) defeat in the Club World Cup final.

"It's clearly a great feeling – even better," said Chelsea striker Cole Palmer, who was the match winner with two goals and an assist: "I like finals." The English Premier League club's victory was, in the eyes of Donald Trump, the most surprising and at the same time the best show at MetLife Stadium on the outskirts of New York.

Even British singer Robbie Williams and the music stars of the halftime show couldn't top the irresistible football performance against the hopeless Champions League winners. It was an absolute dream day for the Conference League winners from London .

The 81,118 spectators, including US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump in the honorary section alongside FIFA President Gianni Infantino , were in awe throughout the 90 minutes. What was happening on the pitch of the massive football arena in the blazing afternoon sun?

England international Palmer scored virtually identical goals twice with his left foot (22nd and 30th minutes). He beat the helpless PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma with low shots into the far corner on both occasions. New signing João Pedro (43rd minute), who had only joined his new team during the tournament's quarterfinals, increased the lead with a technically fine lob over Donnarumma, following a pass from Palmer.

Chelsea's strong goalkeeper Robert Sanchez twice prevented a potential comeback for the Champions League winners with saves from João Neves (45th + 2') and star striker Ousmane Dembélé (52nd). In the closing stages, PSG player João Neves (86th) was shown a red card for violent conduct after video review. He had pulled Spain's European champion Marc Cucurella by the hair. This led to commotion after the end of the match, with even PSG coach Luis Enrique making an unfortunate appearance.

It was also a triumph for Chelsea coach Enzo Maresca. The Italian had set up his team tactically with the best of intentions. They played aggressively, hungrily, and very efficiently. Using Palmer and Malo Gusto on the right flank, the Blues overran the Champions League winners, who had previously celebrated major victories over FC Bayern (2-0) in the quarterfinals and Real Madrid (4-0) in the semifinals.

Chelsea received $40 million (€34.2 million) in prize money for winning the final alone, while PSG received a whopping $30 million (€25.7 million). The World Cup, expanded to 32 participants and 63 matches, was also financially valuable for both clubs. The next Club World Cup will take place in 2029; the venue is still to be determined. FIFA President Gianni Infantino hailed the XXL tournament, with 2.5 million stadium visitors, as "the most successful club competition in the world."

The final was a spectacular finale – thanks to Chelsea and, above all, match-winner Palmer. The 23-year-old winger played brilliantly. In the eighth minute, he narrowly missed the Paris goal with his magical left foot from 15 meters. But then he scored twice in the penalty area with great skill. PSG's resistance was surprisingly weak despite all the goals they conceded.

Chelsea coach Maresca was right. Before the final, he was asked that his Conference League-winning team would likely suffer a lot on the pitch against the ball-savvy PSG team. "Who says that?" he asked back: "We'll see. Of course, Paris are a top team, the best in the world. But every game is different."