By Sunday Apah
Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain failed to add the Club World Cup trophy to their ever-growing collection, as they were beaten 3-0 by a Cole Palmer-inspired Chelsea in Sunday’s final.
PSG, who were heavy favorites heading into the game, were absolutely stunned by Enzo Maresca’s men on the day, being blanked in attack while the English club countered their high-press system with ease to secure the title.
Palmer opened the scoring after 22 minutes, slotting home with his left foot from the edge of the box, and the England international doubled Chelsea’s lead eight minutes later, finding the back of the net once again with an identical finish after leaving the PSG defense for dead.
On the verge of half-time, the Blues added a third, with Palmer turning provider as he delivered a delightful ball to Joao Pedro, who chipped PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma for his third goal in two appearances for Chelsea since he joined from Brighton.
PSG tried to fight back in the second half as Ousmane Dembélé and Vitinha were denied by Robert Sánchez before tempers flared late on, with Joao Neves being sent off after pulling Marc Cucurella’s hair.
