Chelsea 3-0 PSG Final Highlights, FIFA Club World Cup 2025: Palmer Masterclass Dismantles 10-Man Parisians

Hello and welcome to all our readers tuning in for the late-night FIFA Club World Cup 2025 final at East Rutherford. Kick-off is at 12:30 AM IST. Stay tuned for pre-match updates and confirmed lineups.

Donald Trump, President of the United States, will be in attendance in the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 final tonight along with first lady Melania Trump, AP reported.

Trump will travel from his golf club in Bedminster, about 64 kilometres away from the MetLife Stadium, to attend the Chelsea vs PSG contest.

As per AP, 11,500 police personnel have been deployed in France ahead of the Chelsea vs PSG match, with officials warning against "troublemakers who want to have fun with violence". Read the full news report.

Starting XI: Robert Sanchez (gk), Moises Caicedo, Trevoh Chalobah, Levi Colwill, Marc Cucurella, Enzo Fernandes, Malo Gusto, Reece James (c), Joao Pedro, Pedro Neto, Cole Palmer

Bench: Josh Acheampong, Tosin Adarabioyo, Andrey Santos, Aaron Anselmino, Liam Delap, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Tyrique George, Marc Guiu, Nicolas Jackson, Filip Jorgensen (gk), Romeo Lavia, Christopher Nkunku, Mike Penders (gk), Mamadou Sarr, Gabriel Slonina (gk)

Starting XI: Gianluigi Donnarumma (gk), Lucas Beraldo, Ousmane Dembele, Desire Doue, Achraf Hakimi, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Marquinhos (c), Nuno Mendes, Joao Neves, Fabian Ruiz, Vitinha

Bench: Bradley Barcola, Gabriel Moscardo, Noham Kamara, Presnel Kimpembe, Lee Kang-in, Senny Mayulu, Ibrahim Mbaye, Goncalo Ramos, Matvey Safonov (gk), Arnau Tenas (gk), Warren Ziare-Emery

Right now, there are four players with four goals in the Club World Cup – Gonzalo Garcia, Angel Di Maria, Serhou Guirassy, and Marcos Leonardo – but none of them are from Chelsea or PSG.

However, PSG’s Fabian Ruiz (three goals) and Ousmane Dembele (two goals) have a chance to leapfrog tonight. For Chelsea, Pedro Neto (three) and new signing Joao Pedro (two) have a chance to lead the pack.

Chelsea:

• Matchday 1: Chelsea 2-0 LAFC

• Matchday 2: Flamendo 3-1 Chelsea

• Matchday 3: ES Tunis 0-3 Chelsea

• Round of 16: Benfica 1-4 Chelsea

• Quarter-final: Palmeiras 1-2 Chelsea

• Semi-final: Fluminense 0-2 Chelsea

PSG:

• Matchday 1: PSG 4-0 Atletico Madrid

• Matchday 2: PSG 0-1 Botafogo

• Matchday 3: Seattle Sounders 0-2 PSG

• Round of 16: PSG 4-0 Inter Miami

• Quarter-final: PSG 2-0 Bayern Munich

• Semi-final: PSG 4-0 Real Madrid

The pre-match opening ceremony was… well, FIFA went all in on the hype. Robbie Williams and Italian singer Laura Pausini performed a singing routine before a rendition of the United States national anthem by the US Army, in the presence of President Trump. Kick off is imminent.

After a grand opening ceremony, the players exit the MetLife Stadium tunnel for the last time. Iranian referee Alireza Faghani blows his whistle, and we are underway for the final! Who comes out on top tonight?

CHE 0-0 PSG (0’)

Contrary to what many would have expected, Chelsea have started quite well in the opening stages. Pedro Neto and Joao Pedro have combined well on the left side, and a few nervy moments in defence early on for the Parisian giants.

CHE 0-0 PSG (6’)

A brilliant flick from Joao Pedro inside the box found Cole Palmer, and the forward had all time in the world to find his mark. Instead, he opts to shoot first time with his left, and it curls and goes right behind.

Half of the stadium thought it was in, and, considering the calibre of the player, it should have been in from such a terrific position.

CHE 0-0 PSG (8’)

A wonderful chance for PSG, probably their first foray into the Chelsea box. A good cross from the left by Ruiz found Doue on the right edge of the box, and instead of shooting, the youngster tried to cross it back from Hakimi in the centre.

Cucurella did brilliant to anticipate it and stuck out a leg, cutting the ball and clearing the danger.

CHE 0-0 PSG (16’)

Out of nowhere! A long goalkick by Sanchez found the head of Gusto, who beat Mendes with his strength and then pushed forward, cutting inside and having a shot with his left. Beraldo made a very good block, but it falls to Palmer on the edge of the box, and he finds the bottom corner with his left foot.

The tempers are flaring between both sets of players, but the goal stands! Huge setback for PSG.

CHE 1-0 PSG (22’)

Palmer!! The man has ice running in his veins. A long ball from the midfield finds Palmer on the right, and he cuts back in. A brilliant dummy takes out Beraldo from the game, and from then on, it’s a carbon copy of the first goal, finding the bottom corner with his left.

CHE 2-0 PSG (30’)

Chelsea had a chance to break forward, with Pedro Neto having acres of space down the left flank. Joao Pedro was available in the middle of the box, but Neto’s cross is poor and is easily plucked out of the air by Donnarumma.

CHE 2-0 PSG (40’)

It’s Joao Pedro’s turn to join in the party, and Chelesa are running away with the contest. A brilliant run from Palmer down the middle of the park, and he plays a terrific through ball to find Pedro’s run into the box. The Brazilian then dinks it over Donnarumma to score his third goal in just two starts.

CHE 3-0 PSG (43’)

A minimum of six minutes added on by the fourth official. PSG will be itching for the half-time whistle to come. Luis Enrique needs to regroup quickly to have any chance of making this a contest.

CHE 3-0 PSG (45’)

The half-time whistle is blown, and Chelsea may have already secured the match with a three-goal lead. PSG need something special to make a comeback in the next 45 minutes.

CHE 3-0 PSG (HT)

Well, that’s the big question, isn’t it? PSG are three goals down, and have 45 minutes and stoppage time to overturn it, or at least force extra time. Has any team overturned a half-time three-goal deficit in a final? The ‘Miracle of Istanbul’ from 2005 comes to mind. If PSG indeed succeed, this will be another ‘miracle’.

J Balvin, Tems, Doja Cat, Coldplay – that’s a star-studded line-up for a half-time show. FIFA is pulling out all the stops in its bid to Americanise football. Mild cheer from the fans in the stadium.

After much glamour and glitz and a nearly 25-minute break, the second half is finally underway at MetLife Stadium. PSG have a mountain to climb, but if any team can do it, it’s this Paris Saint-Germain side. Follow the next 45 minutes of the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 final.

CHE 3-0 PSG (45’)

As fans would have expected, PSG have started well. Mendes almost found Ruiz with a long cross, and later, Kvaratskhelia had a shot on goal that Sanchez almost fumbled – nervy moments for the Blues defence.

CHE 3-0 PSG (48’)

How did Sanchez keep that out?! A great low cross from the right by Doue found Dembele in the box, and the Frenchman turned and poked it towards the left corner. Sanchez got down in an instant to get a strong arm to keep the shot out!!

The Spaniard, who has been often maligned for his shot-stopping abilities, has been an absolute rock in between the sticks today.

CHE 3-0 PSG (52’)

Another top-class save from Sanchez, this time to deny Vitinha, and the resulting free-kick was barely cleared by Pedro with a stuck-out leg. The touch was important as Marquinhos was rushing in.

Fernandez, who was hobbling after an awkward challenge, comes off for Andrey Santos.

CHE 3-0 PSG (60’)

Delap, who came on just moments ago to replace Joao Pedro, almost grabbed the fourth goal with a brilliant shot from outside the box. The forward took the ball on his right and tried to find the top corner, but Donnarumma was at full stretch and got fingertips to put it behind.

CHE 3-0 PSG (68’)

It just wouldn’t happen for PSG tonight. They had three players in the box, but none of them could get the ball under their control to have a shot on goal. Meanwhile, Chelsea make a double change as Nkunku and Dewsbury-Hall come on.

CHE 3-0 PSG (78’)

Sanchez almost grabbed another assist, finding Delap on the left edge of the box. The forward overpowered his Beraldo and tried to roll it past Donnarumma, but the keeper closed his leg and kept it out. The resulting corner leads to nothing.

CHE 3-0 PSG (81’)

It goes from bad to worse for PSG. There’s an off-the-ball collision between Neves and Cucurella, and the Spaniard goes down clutching his head. VAR asks the referee to go to the monitor, and replays show the Portuguese midfielder pulling Cucurella’s hair down. The referee shows a red card, and Neves walks off without any complaints.

CHE 3-0 PSG (86’)

The fourth official indicates a minimum of five minutes to be played at the end of the regulation 90 minutes.

CHE 3-0 PSG (90’)

The full-time whistle goes at MetLife Stadium, but the contest was pretty much over by halftime. Chelsea win their second Club World Cup title, and PSG will go home empty-handed – the first time they have not won a competition they have taken part in this season.

CHE 3-0 PSG (FT)

Tempers are flaring between both sets of players after full time. Luis Enrique and Donnarumma clash with Joao Pedro, who goes down, but the coaching staff, especially Maresca, tries to calm the PSG goalkeeper down.

The players have settled, and the celebrations have started from the Chelsea players and fans. It will be a long night for the fans back in London!

The next FIFA Club World Cup is scheduled to take place four years later in 2029. However, with Gianni Infantino prone to ‘innovating’ football, do not be surprised if he makes this a biannual event.

Cole Palmer was chosen as the player of the match in today’s game.

“Obviously, it’s a great feeling. Even better, because everyone doubted us before the game. We knew that we had to go out and play the final like we did against a great team”, he said. “I like finals.”

Meanwhile, manager Enzo Maresca said that Chelsea “won the game in the opening 10 minutes.”

Other than the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 trophy, Chelsea will also earn USD 125 million as prize money, which includes USD 40 million for winning the finals. That will go a long way in solving their FFP issues.

FIFA President Infantino and USA President Trump are out on the podium as the awards are readied to be handed out. Chelsea’s Todd Boehly and PSG’s Nasser Al-Khelaifi are also present. Most of the stadium has stayed back.

Top Goalscorer Award: Gonzalo Garcia (Real Madrid)

Best Young Player Award: Desire Doue (PSG)

Golden Glove Award: Robert Sanchez (Chelsea)

Golden Ball Award: Cole Palmer (Chelsea)

PSG players and coaching staff are awarded the runners-up medals, and are followed by the Chelsea players taking the winners’ medals.

Chelsea skipper Reece James finally gets his hands on the Club World Cup trophy, and the stadium erupts as the Blues lift it up!

All good things must come to an end, and after a month of action in the United States, the revamped FIFA Club World Cup 2025 came to an end tonight, with Chelsea lifting the trophy. Thank you for sticking with us as we brought you the play-by-play updates from all the matches. We hope you enjoyed our coverage as much as we enjoyed going through it with you, our readers.

From all of us at Outlook India, thank you, and goodnight!