Delighted Maresca hails new signing

Chelsea coach Enzo Maresca hailed Joao Pedro and expressed his delight at reaching the Club World Cup final, after the new signing's double secured a 2-0 win over Fluminense on Tuesday.

"We are very happy and very proud to be in the final on Sunday, because this is the first edition of the Club World Cup and the best clubs in the world are here," said Maresca.

Pedro was starting for the first time since arriving from Brighton and Hove Albion for a reported 60 million ($79 million) last week, fresh from an off-season break.

The Brazilian made an immediate impact in the game at the Met-Life Stadium just outside New York.

He produced two superb finishes, either side of halftime, to take Chelsea through to Sunday's final against Paris Saint-Germain or Real Madrid.

"I am very happy for Joao. He has the quality to decide games like today, but also, he was on holiday so is probably a bit more fresh compared to the rest," Maresca said of the 23-year-old.

"We knew what Joao was like. We brought him in because, this season, we faced many teams with low blocks, and his quality is very good against these kinds of teams."

The striker did not celebrate his goals out of respect for the club from Rio de Janeiro, with whom he started his career before singing for Watford in 2020 and moving to England.

"When I was young, they gave everything to me, they showed me to the world," he said after collecting his award for player of the match.

"If I am here now, it is because they believed in me, so I am very grateful, but this is soccer, I have to be professional. I feel sorry for them, but I have to do my job."

'Heads held high'

Chelsea's run to the final of the lucrative competition comes at the end of a season in which it finished fourth in the Premier League to secure a return to the UEFA Champions League. It also won the Europa Conference League.

"The last few years have not been what this club deserves, but this year, luckily, things went pretty well and now we are in the final," said the Italian. "We are very proud to help the team be back where they deserve to be."

One possible issue for Chelsea ahead of the final is the fitness of midfield linchpin Moises Caicedo, who came off injured deep in stoppage time at the end of the match.

"'Moi' twisted his ankle. When it happened, I told him that we could play with 10 players and hope it doesn't get worse," Maresca said.

"He felt he could try (to play on), which he did, and he felt pain. Hopefully, he can be fit for Sunday."

Meanwhile, Fluminense coach Renato Portaluppi was disappointed with his team's exit, as South American hopes of winning the competition came to an end.

However, he said it had "regained credibility" for Brazilian soccer with its run to the semifinals.

"Fluminense's campaign was wonderful, I think we all felt that. We overcame some major opponents," said the 62-year-old.

"Chelsea deserved the win, but I am very proud of everything we did. We go out with our heads held high."

AFP