At 0:30 a.m. Beijing time on February 10, the semi-final of the Club World Cup was held in Dubai, and as a result, last season's Champions League champions Chelsea defeated AFC Champions League champions Riyadh Crescent 1-0, reaching the final for the second time in history. Romelu Lukaku scored his only goal and Kepa made several brilliant saves. Chelsea's opponent in the final is Copa Libertadores winner Palmeiras.
Chelsea last played in the Club World Cup in 2012, when the Blues lost to Corinthians in the final. As a representative of Asian clubs, Riyadh Crescent entered the Club World Cup for the first time in a year, and in 2019 they lost to Monterrey in the penalty shootout and finished fourth. Chelsea offered the strongest squad in this campaign, with Lukaku single-arrow, Havertz and Ziyech lurking behind them. In Riyadh Crescent, Ighalo and Jang Hyun-so, who have played in the Chinese Super League, have both started.
Ighalo attempted a long-range shot just 1 minute into the opening, but his shot was deflected. In the 8th minute, Thiago also made a long-range shot in front of the box, which was very powerful, but the ball was slightly deflected. With a strong impact, Lukaku made several threats in the opponent's penalty area, but the final goal was always almost meaningless. Footage captured FIFA president Infantino chatting with officials in the stands.
Attacking Chelsea took the lead in the 32nd minute, Havertz crossed from the bottom line, the ball hit Shahrani's chest and rebounded, Lukaku, who was guarding in front of the goal, broke the net with a close shot, Chelsea took a 1-0 lead, Lukaku scored again in a month, and he scored 260 goals in 544 appearances in his club's career.
YiBian fought again, and Kante replaced Jorginho. In the 48th minute, Havertz dribbled the ball all the way to the box on the left, he forced a shot at a small angle, and the ball hit the upright and popped up! In the 60th minute, Ziyech fired a beautiful left-footed volley from outside the box and riyadh crescent goalkeeper made a brilliant save. In the 63rd minute, Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa made a contribution when he saved Marega's one-handed ball, a crucial save!
In the end, Chelsea beat Riyadh Crescent and reached the club world cup final for the second time in their history. At 0:30 a.m. Beijing time on February 13, Chelsea will face Palmeiras in the final. As they did 10 years ago, Chelsea will face a team from Brazil, when Chelsea lost 1-0 to Corinthians, can the Blues beat Palmeiras to win their first Club World Cup title in their history? And let's wait and see!
Chelsea line-up: 1 Kepa/ 2 Rudiger, 6 Silva, 4 Christensen/28 Azpilicueta, 8 Kovacic, 5 Jorginho (7-Kante 46'), 3 Alonso (31-Sal 87') / 29 Havertz, 22 Ziyech (19-Mount 72') / 9-Lukaku