Chelsea, from England, defeated Palmeiras this Saturday (12) by 2-1 in extra time and won the title of champion of the Club World Cup for the first time. The match was played at Mohammed Bin Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
This was the third time that the São Paulo team competed in the World Cup. The first was in 1999, when the Brazilians were runners-up to Manchester United, from England, 1-0. This year, the cup was still played in the old format of just one game, involving the South American and European champions. .
In 2020, Palmeiras was fourth, losing in the semifinals to Tigres, from Mexico, by 1-0 and, subsequently, suffering a 3-2 setback against Al Ahly, from Egypt, after drawing 0-0. in the regulation time of the decision for the third place.
The game
In the first half, despite Chelsea’s greater possession of the ball, Palmeiras was the team that came closest to opening the scoring. In counterattack, at 26 minutes, forward Dudu received from Zé Rafael and hit the left of goalkeeper Édouard Mendy. With little creativity, the English scared in the 46th minute, in a header out of the Brazilian Thiago Silva.
After the break, the Blues were more assertive, taking the lead in a header by Belgian Lukaku, in the 9th minute. Then, six minutes later, defender Thiago Silva got his hand on the ball in a dispute with Paraguayan Gustavo Gómez and Australian referee Chris Beath scored a penalty after being triggered by the video referee. Striker Raphael Veiga hit and left everything the same.
In extra time, Chelsea continued with more volume of play, but only in the 9th minute did they startle. After exchanging passes, forward Werner hit the post, almost putting the English team ahead.
In the complementary stage, the English continued to press without converting the volume of the game into a goal. Until defender Luan, in the 11th minute, put his hand on the ball inside the area after a kick by Azpilicueta, and the referee awarded the second penalty of the game, this time for Chelsea. Forward Havertz, shirt 29, took charge, swung the net and closed the scoring. Chelsea 2, Palmeiras 1.
Luan’s expulsion
In extra time, in the 20th minute, defender Luan fouled Havertz, who was almost penetrating the penalty area. As the defender was the last outfield player, he ended up getting the red card and consequently being sent off.
