Chelsea progressed to the final of the FIFA Club World Cup on Tuesday with a 2-0 win over Fluminense.
Joao Pedro was the hero in a dream debut, with the Brazilian bagging a brace to sink his former team in the United States. The summer signing from Brighton bent home a beauty for the opening goal before doubling his – and Chelsea’s – tally to seal the win.
Chelsea will take on either Paris Saint-Germain or Real Madrid in the final, ahead of their semi-final tonight. There has been more than just silverware at stake for the Blues this summer with huge prize money on offer at FIFA’s expanded tournament.
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Enzo Maresca’s side have banked a reported minimum of $105m (£76.4m) for reaching the final, a prize pot that could swell with success in Sunday’s showpiece.
Victory could increase their minimum earnings to around $115m (£85.4m), roughly equivalent to the initial fees paid to sign Jamie Gittens and Liam Delap this summer.
Incredibly, Chelsea qualified for the tournament by winning the 2021 Champions League but just one player (Reece James) remains in the squad from that success.
Against Fluminense in the semi-final, the only player who started both the 2021 Champions League final for Chelsea and that tie was Thiago Silva, now representing the Brazilian side!
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Read – Enzo Maresca hails Joao Pedro following dream Chelsea debut
See more – Crystal Palace make Chelsea transfer enquiry
