Kai Havertz was once again the hero for UEFA Champions League holders Chelsea as they defeated Brazil’s Palmeiras 2-1 to win the FIFA Club World Cup for the first time. The showpiece was heading for a penalty shoot-out when Chelsea earned a 117th-minute penalty after a handball from defender Luan. Up stepped Havertz – scorer of their 2021 UEFA Champions League winner – and the German made no mistake as the Blues became the eighth different European winners of the competition and the ninth in a row.
After a difficult period in the Premier League with Chelsea, the Red Devil found the smile and the way to the net at the Club World Cup. Scorer in the semi-final, he also planted a rose in the final. The Blues finally won 2-1 against Palmeiras after extra time.
Against the Brazilians, Lukaku opened the score with a powerful header in the 55th minute. With this goal, the Belgian striker has now scored ten goals in all competitions this season.
A few minutes later, Palmeiras took advantage of Thiago Silva’s foul in the box to equalize with a penalty converted by Raphael Veiga (64th).
The Blues’ coach Thomas Tuchel then tried to give his team a boost by replacing Lukaku with Timo Werner (76th), but the score did not move until the end of regulation time.
Chelsea won the Club World Cup for the first time in its history. In 2012, the London club had lost in the final to Corinthians of Brazil for its first participation. This defeat is the last one of a European club in the competition. A great performance for Thomas Tuchel!
