Chelsea reach Club World Cup final
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Joao Pedro scored two magnificent goals to send Chelsea through to the FIFA Club World Cup final at the expense of Fluminense on Tuesday. The Brazilian forward was handed his first Blues start,
Joao Pedro makes his mark for Chelsea at Club World Cup as Blues' attacking musical chairs continues
Rare is the day a player earns a first start for their new team in the semifinal of a competition despite being under contract with an entirely different club during the group stage, but leave it to the new-look Club World Cup to shoehorn a new quirk into the structured soccer calendar.
The club's new signing scored twice against Fluminense but there was much more to admire about his game on Tuesday
João Pedro had just scored on a 20-yard curling shot in his first start for Chelsea, putting his team ahead in a Club World Cup semifinal less than a week after signing with the London power. He took two steps to start to celebrate and then he stopped.
Joao Pedro registered 26 touches of the ball against Fluminense. Of all Chelsea forwards to have started at the Club World Cup, only Jackson has managed as many touches in a match. Not all of the Brazilian's touches took place inside the opposition half, however – far from it.
Chelsea's latest shiny new toy glistened on debut in the sweltering Philadelphia air during the Blues' 2-1 win over Palmeiras, and he repeated the trick on Tuesday night against former club Fluminense, sending Enzo Maresca 's men on their way to a comfortable win with a sumptuous curling effort after 18 minutes.
Chelsea midfielder Romeo Lavia has emerged as a doubt for their Club World Cup quarter-final tie against Palmeiras. However, the Blues could hand a debut to Joao Pedro. Pedro completed his £60m transfer from Brighton earlier in the week, and has been added to the Blues’ squad having been signed before the new registration deadline.