Chelsea midfielder Cole Palmer with the championship trophy in his hands // Photo: gettyimages.com
The hero of the match was Chelsea midfielder Cole Palmer, who scored two goals in the 22nd and 30th minutes of the match, and also gave striker Joao Pedro a goal in the 43rd minute. The 3-0 scoreline that the clubs went into the break remained until the end of the game. At the end of the match PSG were left in the minority after the suspension of French midfielder João Neves in the 85th minute.
Passions heated up after the final whistle when players from both clubs engaged in a mass scuffle. At first there was an altercation between a few players, but after PSG head coach Luis Enrique tried to push João Pedro away and he fell to the turf, almost all the players and some representatives of the coaching staffs of the clubs joined the fight. “All this could have been avoided. I will make sure that this situation does not develop. It was not the best decision on my part. I have nothing more to add,” the PSG coach said after the match.
The final match was held at the MetLife Stadium with a capacity of 82,500 spectators. According to FIFA, 81,118 fans were present in the stands. The match was officiated by a team of referees from Australia, headed by 47-year-old Alireza Faghani. The specialist comes from Iran and represents Australia at international tournaments. He served the matches of the World Cup 2018 and 2022. In the field he was assisted by Anton Shchetinin (born in St. Petersburg, Russia) and Ashley Bickham.
The ceremony was attended by FIFA president Gianni Infantino and US President Donald Trump, who presented the trophy to Chelsea captain Rhys James. And, contrary to protocol, stayed with the team on the podium during the championship celebrations.
At the end of the tournament, Chelsea, as the winner, earned $114.6 million, PSG – $106.9 million. The budgets of the semifinalists – Real (Spain) and Fluminense (Brazil) – were replenished by $82.5 million and $60.8 million, respectively. The total budget of the Club World Cup amounted to $1 billion.
Defeat in the final of the Club World Cup did not allow PSG to formalize the quintuple, that is, to win five trophies in one season. The Parisians have won the Champions League, the Champions Trophy, the French Cup and the Super Cup. PSG will get another chance to achieve an achievement unique to clubs on August 13, when they play England’s Tottenham – winners of the UEFA Super Cup – in the UEFA Europa League 2024/25.
