AFCON 2025
João Pedro marked his full Chelsea debut in style, scoring twice to fire the Blues past Fluminense with a 2-0 win in the FIFA Club World Cup semi-final in New Jersey.
Facing his boyhood club, the Brazilian forward opened the scoring in the 18th minute with a stunning curling strike from outside the box.
Fluminense, South American champions and underdogs heading into the tie, struggled to create clear chances. Though they enjoyed brief spells of possession and a few dangerous set pieces, Chelsea’s control of the midfield—led by Moisés Caicedo and Enzo Fernández—kept the Brazilian side on the back foot.
There was a moment of controversy just before half-time when Fluminense appealed for a penalty after the ball struck Trevoh Chalobah’s arm. However, after a VAR review, no spot-kick was awarded.
The second half saw Chelsea turn the screw, and João Pedro doubled the lead in the 56th minute. Bursting forward on a counter-attack, he latched onto a threaded pass from Fernández, took a touch, and hammered a rising shot off the underside of the crossbar and into the net.
The goal effectively sealed the tie, with the win sets up a blockbuster final against either Real Madrid or Paris Saint-Germain—two European heavyweights battling in the other semi-final.
