Chelsea Boss Maresca Hails ‘Great Triumph’

AFP/APP

East Rutherford: Chelsea announced themselves as champions of FIFA’s revamped Club World Cup with a commanding 3-0 victory over Paris Saint-Germain, as Cole Palmer’s two goals and an assist helped deliver Enzo Maresca his second trophy in charge.

Palmer produced a decisive performance in Sunday’s final, scoring twice before setting up Joao Pedro for Chelsea’s third goal as the London club dominated the first half and never allowed the European champions to recover.

The 23-year-old England international was named player of the match after leading Chelsea’s attacking display, further strengthening his status as one of the club’s emerging global stars.

Maresca, who took charge of Chelsea a year ago, said the new tournament deserved to be regarded alongside the Champions League, pointing to the quality of teams involved.

The Italian has first-hand experience of European success, having previously worked on Pep Guardiola’s coaching staff at Manchester City when the club won the Champions League in 2023.

Maresca said Chelsea’s approach was to impose themselves on PSG from the opening whistle. The strategy paid off as Chelsea took control within the first 10 minutes and went on to score all three goals before the interval.

“The message was to let them understand that we were here to win the game,” Maresca said, praising both his players’ quality and their aggressive start.

The victory adds the Club World Cup to the UEFA Conference League trophy Chelsea won in May, giving Maresca two major titles during his first year at the club.

Maresca said the triumph would provide lasting pride for Chelsea supporters, with the Club World Cup title set to be represented on the club’s shirt for the next four years.

Palmer, whose image featured prominently on tournament advertising alongside stars such as Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior, said the team’s intensity and execution of the manager’s plan were key to the victory.

The final also marked a significant statement from Chelsea against a PSG side that had established itself as one of Europe’s strongest teams, with the London club securing the inaugural edition of FIFA’s expanded competition in emphatic fashion.