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Chelsea pulled off a stunning upset in the Club World Cup final, dismantling reigning European champions Paris Saint-Germain 3-0 at MetLife Stadium in front of 81,118 spectators, including U.S. President Donald Trump. The star of the show was 23-year-old winger Cole Palmer, who delivered a flawless first-half performance, scoring twice and assisting once to earn Man of the Match and MVP honors.
PSG entered the match as overwhelming favorites, having completed a treble with Ligue 1, Coupe de France, and UEFA Champions League titles, and outscoring opponents 10-0 in the Club World Cup knockout stage.
Their semifinal included a dominant 4-0 win over Real Madrid, and they crushed Inter Milan 5-0 in the Champions League final. Yet Chelsea flipped the script with a commanding first-half display.
Palmer opened the scoring in the 22nd minute after Malo Gusto’s initial effort was blocked, calmly slotting the ball past Gianluigi Donnarumma. Eight minutes later, Palmer doubled Chelsea’s lead, collecting a Levi Colwill long ball, beating Lucas Beraldo with a dummy, and finishing into the same bottom corner.
Just before halftime, he turned provider, driving through midfield and threading a perfect pass to Joao Pedro, who chipped Donnarumma to make it 3-0.
Chelsea exploited PSG’s left side throughout the first half, repeatedly targeting Nuno Mendes, whose advanced positioning left gaps in defense. All three Chelsea goals came from that side, with Palmer capitalizing each time.
PSG, despite dominating possession and entering the final with an aggregate 10-0 margin in the knockout stage, including a 2-0 win over Bayern Munich and a 4-0 demolition of Real Madrid, were stunned by Chelsea’s clinical execution.
Palmer’s Club World Cup performance put the finishing touch on a remarkable season. In two Premier League campaigns with Chelsea, he has racked up 37 goals and 19 assists. He was the face of Chelsea’s U.S. marketing campaign during the tournament and lived up to the hype with his match-winning display.
The victory secured Chelsea their third major honor of the 2024-25 season, after winning the UEFA Conference League and finishing fourth in the Premier League with 69 points under new manager Enzo Maresca. The Blues also pocketed approximately $125 million in prize money for becoming the first champions of the new 32-team Club World Cup format.
For PSG, the result was a bitter blow. Luis Enrique’s side was expected to end their season with a global crown, but they were sluggish and disjointed, especially in the first half. Their frustration boiled over late when Joao Neves was sent off in the 86th minute for pulling Marc Cucurella’s hair off the ball.
