Joao Pedro marked his first Chelsea start in spectacular fashion on Tuesday, scoring twice to fire the Premier League side into the Club World Cup final with a 2-0 victory over his boyhood club Fluminense.

The 23-year-old Brazilian forward, signed from Brighton & Hove Albion for 60 million pounds ($81.5 million) last week, curled home a fabulous strike in the 18th minute before sealing the win with a brilliant finish following a counter-attack early in the second half.

Chelsea will face Real Madrid or Paris St Germain, who meet in the second semi-final on Wednesday, in Sunday’s final.

“I’m pleased about everything, to be honest. It’s a great achievement,” Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca told DAZN.

“It’s been a fantastic season. To finish top four in the Premier League, win the Conference League title, now in the final in the Club World Cup. We are so, so, so happy.

“We knew with Joao Pedro that we have a player that is able to do what he has just done.”

The semi-final took place in brutal conditions in New Jersey, with an afternoon kickoff in scorching heat that prompted a National Weather Service warning. Temperatures soared past 35 degrees Celsius with over 54% humidity.

Chelsea started the game in control against a Fluminense side who adopted a conservative approach, with a deep five-men defence, inviting their rivals to hold possession and trying to counter attack.

The English side struggled to find their way through against Fluminense’s defensive block but they broke the deadlock in the 18th minute thanks to Joao Pedro’s shot from the edge of the box into the top corner of the net.

The Brazilian refused to celebrate his goal, a gesture of respect for Fluminense, where he came through the academy before making his professional debut as a 17-year-old. His journey took him to Watford in 2019 and Brighton in 2023 before joining Chelsea.

Fluminense , who stunned Champions League runners-up Inter Milan in the last 16 and Al-Hilal in the quarter-finals, nearly equalised when Hercules burst unmarked into the box following a slick one-two with German Cano, only for Marc Cucurella’s goalline clearance to preserve Chelsea’s lead.

The Brazilian side thought they had earned a lifeline when referee Francois Letexier awarded a penalty for Trevoh Chalobah’s handball, but VAR overturned the decision.

Just as Fluminense appeared to be building momentum in the second half, Pedro delivered the knockout blow in the 56th minute, taking a fine pass by Enzo Fernandez before dribbling past Ignacio and smashing in an unstoppable shot off the underside of the crossbar.

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Joao Pedro scored twice against his boyhood club Fluminense to send Chelsea into the final of the FIFA Club World Cup with a 2-0 victory at the MetLife Stadium on Tuesday night — but his celebrations were muted in a poignant reunion with his past.

The 23-year-old Brazilian striker, who signed for Chelsea from Brighton just six days ago, delivered two clinical finishes — one in the 18th minute and another early in the second half — to seal the Blues’ place in Sunday’s final.

Pedro, who came through the ranks at Fluminense and made his professional debut there, raised his hands in apology after both goals, showing visible restraint even as his Chelsea teammates celebrated around him.

“They gave everything to me,” Pedro said post-match. “They showed me to the world. If I’m here, it’s because they believed in me. I’m very grateful, but this is football — I have to be professional. I feel sorry for them, but I have to do my job.”

The goals came in only his second appearance for Chelsea, having made his debut off the bench in a 2-1 quarter-final win over Palmeiras on Friday with minimal time in training.

“Today I started, and I had more time to do my stuff. I had to score. The team won, the team played well — that’s important,” he said in a televised interview.

Pedro’s signing follows Chelsea’s acquisition of Liam Delap as the London club moves to address its attacking depth. With his early impact, Pedro has already justified his arrival.

Chelsea now await the winner of Wednesday’s second semi-final between Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid. The Club World Cup final will take place on Sunday, again at the MetLife Stadium.

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 U.S. President Donald Trump will attend Sunday’s Club World Cup final in East Rutherford, New Jersey, he said at a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, as world soccer’s ruling body FIFA announced it had opened an office in New York’s Trump Tower.

The expanded tournament featuring many of the world’s best club teams has been widely seen as a dry run for the 2026 World Cup, which will be co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico with a record 48 national teams taking part.

Sunday’s Club World Cup final at MetLife Stadium will be a preview of next year’s championship match, with the home of the NFL’s New York Jets and Giants also hosting the 2026 finale.

“I’ll be going to the game,” Trump told reporters.

The news came a day after FIFA President Gianni Infantino announced the opening of a representative office at Trump Tower, where the Club World Cup trophy will be on display until the final.

“We have received such a big support from the government and from the President with the White House Task Force for the FIFA Club World Cup (now) and for the FIFA World Cup next year,” Infantino said.

Trump has not shied away from sport’s super-sized spotlight during his second term, becoming the first sitting president to attend a Super Bowl in February, and in May announcing D.C. as the host for the 2027 NFL Draft from the Oval Office.

His immigration crackdown and travel ban on 12 countries have prompted concerns ahead of the 2026 World Cup, however, even as Infantino offered assurances that the world will be welcomed in the U.S. for the quadrennial global showpiece event.

A memo obtained by Reuters last month showed that the Trump administration was considering significantly expanding its travel restrictions by potentially banning citizens of 36 additional countries from entering the U.S.

-Reuters

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