New signing Joao Pedro scored twice on his first start as Chelsea eased to a 2-0 win over Fluminense on Tuesday to seal a spot in the final of the Club World Cup.
The Brazilian striker opened the scoring in lethal fashion in the 18th minute of the last-four clash at the MetLife Stadium and struck again shortly before the hour mark as Chelsea set up a showdown with either Real Madrid or Paris Saint-Germain in the final on Sunday.
Signed from Brighton and Hove Albion just last week for a reported £60 million ($79 million), the 23-year-old cut short an off-season holiday and made his debut off the bench in the quarter-final win over Palmeiras.
He was then given his first Chelsea start up front here in place of the suspended Liam Delap.
Joao Pedro refused to celebrate after either goal against the club with whom he started his career and made 36 top-team appearances before moving to England with Watford in 2020.
The result ends Fluminense's impressive run at the tournament after the 2023 Copa Libertadores winners had held Borussia Dortmund in the group stage, beaten Inter Milan in the last 16 and knocked out Manchester City's conquerors Al-Hilal in the quarter-finals. With their exit go the prospects of a South American winner of the first 32-team edition of the Club World Cup, with Chelsea claiming back-to-back victories against Brazilian opposition to reach the final. As always seemed most likely, the trophy will be claimed by one of Europe's superpowers, with the final now guaranteed to be between two of the last five winners of the UEFA Champions League.
Fluminense coach Renato Portaluppi had described his team as the "ugly duckling" of the tournament due to the enormous difference between their budget and those of the other three sides left in the United States.
This game ultimately proved to be a step too far for their team, captained by 40-year-old former Chelsea centre-back Thiago Silva.
