Cole Palmer scored two goals and provided an assist as Chelsea stunned Paris Saint-Germain in the Club World Cup final on Sunday, winning 3-0 at the MetLife Stadium to become the first champions of FIFA’s new tournament.
PSG came into the game as the favorites, with Donald Trump there, having just arrived in the United States after winning the UEFA Champions League and a strong 4-0 win over Real Madrid in the semi-finals. However, unlike their last match where they were ahead 3-0 at halftime, PSG found themselves losing 3-0 at the break this time.
Palmer started the scoring halfway through the first half and added another goal at the half-hour mark, then he took advantage of some bad defending to assist Joao Pedro for the third goal just before halftime.
A tough day for PSG got worse when Joao Neves got a red card after a VAR review, just four minutes from the end, for pulling Marc Cucurella hair off the ball.
This surprising scoreline marked a dramatic end to Chelsea’s long but memorable season — they are the first champions of the 32-team Club World Cup, having also won the UEFA Conference League title and finished fourth in the Premier League.
They will also take home about $125 million in prize money, making the idea of a much shorter summer break before the next season seem worth it.
In contrast, PSG will get similar financial rewards but will surely feel very disappointed at missing the chance to add this title to their Champions League win and their domestic league and cup double.
