By Safiu Kehinde
Chelsea clinched their first FIFA Club World Cup after edging past stubborn Palmerias in a thrilling 120 minutes final match at the Mohammad Bin Zayed stadium on Saturday night.
Following their Champions League triumph against Manchester City last season, the Blues qualified for the FIFA Club World Cup which they joined at the Semi-final stage.
Having gotten rid of Al-Hilal at the Semi-final, Thomas Tuchel’s men were to face Brazilian side, Palmerias in the final.
In what seemed to be a reflection of the unforgettable loss to Corinthians back in 2013, Chelsea was faced with another Brazilian test which proved difficult.
The Blues were held at first-half as they could not find a way through Palmeiras’ defence. Chelsea midfielder, Mason Mount tried his luck in the 16th minute after breaking free, but his shot went wide. Palmeiras also attempted to test Chelsea’s goalmouth, but Dudu’s shot was far off target. Christian Pulisic, Kai Havertz, and Thiago Silva all tried to put Chelsea into the lead, but their attempts went off target as well.
Going into the second-half, Chelsea kept gunning for goal which they eventually found in the 54th minute. Romelu Lukaku’s header met Callum Hudson-Odoi’s cross to put Chelsea ahead.
Meanwhile, Palmeiras were not going to concede defeat so cheap. They players on the offensive and got awarded in the 64th minute. A Chelsea player committed a foul in the penalty box, leading to Palmeiras’ equalizer. With Palmeiras looking unwilling to give in, Thomas Tuchel made couple of tactical substitutions in search for goal. Saul Niguez and Timo Werner were introduced late in second-half, but they still could not get rid of Palmeiras.
The game would later progress into extra time with the intensity growing stronger. Tuchel introduced Hakim Ziyech in an effort to nail the Brazilian side while bringing on Malang Sarr to prevent a likely counter-attack from Palmeiras.
Eventually, Chelsea outlasted the Brazilian side through Kai Havertz’s penalty conversion. The German, once again, rose to the occasion to give Chelsea their first taste of the FIFA Club World Cup.
