Brazilian media in awe of ‘flawless’ Joao Pedro after scoring twice for Chelsea in Club World Cup semi-final.
Chelsea have one man to thank for sending them to the Club World Cup final following their comprehensive 2-0 win over Fluminense.
Joao Pedro was handed a start for the first time for his new club, and did not disappoint as he scored two incredible goals either side of half-time.
Pedro elected not to celebrate either goal due to his breakthrough in the professional game coming with Fluminense, but the damage was done as he cracked two powerful efforts past Thiago Silva and co.
The Brazilian was handed the nod up front instead of Nicolas Jackson, with the pair fighting for the position in the absence of Liam Delap.
Pedro impressed off the bench in his debut, and now looks a shoo-in to start in the final against either PSG or Real Madrid.
Photo by Ira L. Black – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images
Brazilian media will have been watching their countryman’s performance closely, and were left in awe at what they had seen in the semi-final.
Correio Braziliense said: “Chelsea’s goal came right there, but from the feet of a former Fluminense player.
Chosen to replace the suspended Delap, João Pedro earned points with the national team coach.
From the grandstand, the Italian watched the striker capitalize on Cano’s mistake in the clearance.
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“Pedro Neto crossed the ball into the box, Thiago Silva partially cleared it, and it fell to João Pedro.
The center forward took advantage of the space left by Guga in his marking and finished with a finesse into the right corner of goalkeeper Fábio’s goal. A stunning goal!”
“Cole Palmer is only 21 years old, but he showed enough strength to stay on his feet after a tough challenge with Renê in midfield, passing the ball to Enzo Fernández, and the Argentine midfielder provided a perfect pass for João Pedro, who fired another flawless shot past goalkeeper Fábio.
“The shot hit the post before going into the left corner.
Renato Gaúcho made the team more attacking, took risks, missed limited opportunities, but it was no use. Game over for the Tricolor and Brazilian football in the World Cup.”
Photo by Ricardo Nogueira/Sports Press Photo/Getty Images
Pedro piles pressure on Delap and Jackson
Delap was suspended for the semi-final, however now faces an uphill battle to regain his place in the side for the final.
Jackson was brought on to replace the Brazilian in the second half, however is seemingly the one most under pressure for his place in the new season.
Jackson is reportedly unhappy with the news that Chelsea are looking to sign plenty of attackers this summer, and his performance off the bench came across as a player who had a point to prove.
The man of the moment right now is Pedro, and he will have given Chelsea fans confidence that they can put up a real fight against one of Europe’s elite in the final.