2025 Club World Cup: Chelsea beat Paris Saint-Germain 3-0: Palmer seals Blues' triumph

Cole Palmer (Ansa)

East Rutherford (United States), 13 July 2025 - It's hot at the MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford , and despite the usual celebrations, temperatures are further inflamed by Cole 'Cold' Palmer , who in half an hour sent Paris Saint-Germain crazy with a sensational brace, before providing the assist at the end of the first half for a Joao Pedro who had a devastating impact against Chelsea . As expected, the score of the match changes in the second half: the English lowered their center of gravity to protect the precious (and unexpected) 3-0 , while the French try everything in search of a very complicated comeback, crashing into a great Sanchez , but on the other side Donnarumma also outdoes himself by denying the substitute Delap , avoiding a worse defeat for his team, who today were anything but 'unplayable'. Indeed, as if their hat-trick of points weren't enough, the Champions League winners finished with ten men after Neves was sent off for pulling Cucurella 's hair: a fitting reflection of a team that has won so much lately and perhaps has forgotten how to lose, as demonstrated by the brawl that followed the final whistle. Maresca 's Chelsea deservedly triumphed, having made UEFA history at the end of May by becoming the first club to win every competition, with the Conference League being the latest newcomer. At least until the 2025 Club World Cup , which in its new format is shelved after a month of football and excitement.

The official lineups

Maresca chooses a 4-2-3-1 opened by Sanchez , protected by Gusto , Chalobah , Colwill and Cucurella , in turn shielded by James and Caicedo : the lone striker is Joao Pedro , assisted by Palmer , Fernandez and Neto . Luis Enrique responds with a 4-3-3 that sees Donnarumma between the posts, with Hakimi , Marquinhos , Beraldo and Mendes in defence: in midfield there are Neves , Vitinha and Fabian Ruiz , while the attack includes Doué , Dembélé and Kvaratskhelia .

First half

Chelsea started strong, winning the first corner early on, but it didn't pay off. Paris Saint-Germain struggled, but with their first attacking foray they caused problems for Neto , who was forced to fall back on Sanchez . In the 8th minute, the English side almost scored when Joao Pedro set up Palmer 's volley from the edge of the box with a powerful backheel, but the shot ended in the side-netting of a motionless Donnarumma . PSG responded in the 16th minute with a run down the left by Fabian Ruiz , who, with a brilliant run, found Doué on the other side, who, instead of shooting, looked for an assist in the middle: Cucurella was in the right place at the right time. The talented Frenchman tried to redeem himself shortly after, firing towards Sanchez , who somehow held on to the ball. In the 22nd minute, right when PSG were at their peak, Chelsea broke the deadlock with the man they were most eagerly awaiting: Palmer found the far post with a surgical left-footed strike from Gusto , who had just seen his shot blocked after having largely eluded Mendes . The Blues' number 10 continued his show on the half-hour mark, when a long ball from behind by Colwill found him on the right flank before he opened up with his left foot again towards the same corner, once again out of reach for Donnarumma . The French side failed to respond, except with nerves, and so Chelsea took advantage of the situation to make it three and the news was that this time Palmer didn't score, but he did have a hand in providing the assist: it was the 43rd minute and the number 10 laid it off for Joao Pedro , who penetrated the PSG defence and fooled Donnarumma with a chip. The minutes of injury time awarded by referee Faghani , who booked three of Maresca 's players ( Neto , Caicedo and Gusto ), were 6 , in the second of which Sanchez needed his reflexes to block Neves ' twisting header, the flash of brilliance that could have potentially reopened the match before half-time.

Second half

PSG came back into the game with the right attitude, but Sanchez stood in their way, first to block Kvaratskhelia 's shot and then, with an open hand, to block Dembélé 's close-range effort. Doué then tried his luck from outside the box, but this time the ball went wide. Having failed to get the game back underway, Luis Enrique tried to make a change: an impalpable Kvara was sent off for Barcola . When play resumed, Vitinha fired a long-range shot: Sanchez got to it with his fingertips, conceding a corner that required a great save from Joao Pedro on Marquinhos . Maresca took off the injured Fernandez and brought on Andrey Santos : Delap then came on for Joao Pedro , whose impact against Chelsea was nothing short of devastating. The new substitute stepped up in the 68th minute with a right-footed shot from outside the box that forced Donnarumma into a superb save with his hand. After the cooling-off period, Luis Enrique also brought on Ramos , Mayulu , and Zaire-Emery , replacing Hakimi , Doué , and Fabian Ruiz , all of whom were inadequate today. Maresca , meanwhile, lost James to injury, but Neto also went off: Dewsbury-Hall and Nkunku came on instead. In the 80th minute, Delap became dangerous again on a counterattack, but Donnarumma once again blocked his path, this time with a perfectly timed low exit: Beraldo , who was an easy cone to get past today, was once again in trouble. In the 84th minute, the relationship between Neves and Cucurella became even more tense: the former pulled the latter's hair and, after an on-field review, was shown a red card, further dampening PSG 's hopes of a comeback. Despite everything, in the 89th minute, Barcola crossed for Ramos , who was unable to complete the tap-in from zero meters. There are 5 minutes of added time which, aside from the French team's nervousness, do not change the score: Maresca 's Chelsea win, and this time for PSG it is only tears and disappointment vented in a final brawl.