Abu Dhabi (dpa) – The English Champions League winner FC Chelsea is in the final of the Club World Cup and can secure the title on Saturday, which is still missing on the letterhead.
In the semifinals, Chelsea defeated Asian Champions League winners Al Hilal of Saudi Arabia 1-0 (1-0). The Blues meet Copa Libertadores winners Palmeiras Sao Paulo in the final on Saturday.
Belgian striker Romelu Lukaku scored the winning goal for the Londoners in the 32nd minute, where coach Thomas Tuchel was still missing due to a positive corona test. He was replaced by assistant coach Zsolt Löw and hopes to catch up with a negative test result before the final.
Chelsea struggled in front of FIFA President Gianni Infantino and around 37,000 spectators at the Mohammed bin Zayed stadium. Like last Saturday in the narrow FA Cup victory against FC Middlesbrough (2-1), the Blues, who exceptionally played in yellow jerseys, controlled the game, but they hardly became really dangerous. Even Lukaku’s goal to make it 1-0 came about through a blunder by Al Hilal pro Yasser al-Shahrani, who accidentally played the ball in front of the Belgian striker’s feet.
Keeper Kepa with a strong performance
In the second half, Chelsea had goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga to thank. The Spaniard, who became a cup hero with a saved penalty, was preferred to Africa Cup of Nations winner Edouard Mendy and repaid the confidence with strong saves.
Final opponents Palmeiras Sao Paulo had previously outnumbered the African Champions League winners Al Ahly from Egypt 2-0 (1-0). In 2012, Chelsea lost the Club World Cup final 1-0 to then Copa Libertadores winners – and Palmeiras’ archrivals – Corinthians Sao Paulo.
Just like the Londoners, Palmeiras only entered the semi-finals of the Club World Cup, in which a total of seven teams take part. Already eliminated were FC Monterrey, winner of the Champions League of the North, Central America and Caribbean federation, Al Jazira, football champions of the United Arab Emirates, and AS Pirae from Tahiti, sent by the Oceania federation because the OFC Champions League was canceled because of the pandemic had failed.