Sports
Chelsea thrash PSG 3-0 to win FIFA Club World Cup
Cole Palmer scored two goals and made another as Chelsea stunned Paris Saint-Germain in the final of the Club World Cup on Sunday, beating the European champions 3-0 at the MetLife Stadium to win the first edition of FIFA’s new competition.
PSG were the favourites for a game attended by Donald Trump after coming to the United States fresh from winning the UEFA Champions League and having destroyed Real Madrid 4-0 in the semi-finals.
But having been three goals ahead midway through the first half in the semis, this time the roles were reversed as PSG found themselves 3-0 down by the break.
Palmer opened the scoring midway through the first half and struck again to make it two on the half-hour mark, before taking advantage of passive defending to set up Joao Pedro for the third on 43 minutes.
A bad day for PSG was summed up when Joao Neves was shown red following a VAR review four minutes from the end for pulling Marc Cucurella by the hair off the ball.
It was a scoreline that few could have predicted as Chelsea capped what has been a long but memorable season — they are the first ever winners of the 32-team Club World Cup having also won the UEFA Conference League and finished fourth in the Premier League.
They will also take away around $125 million in prize money, meaning the prospect of a drastically curtailed summer break before returning for next season will surely feel worth it.
For PSG, meanwhile, the financial rewards are similar but there will be genuine disappointment at falling short of adding this title to their Champions League triumph and French league and cup double.
Nevertheless, conquering Europe was always the main aim this season for Luis Enrique’s team, who now have exactly a month to digest this and take a holiday before returning to action in the UEFA Super Cup against Tottenham Hotspur.
– Trump in attendance –
There was a real sense of occasion at the MetLife Stadium, with the backdrop of the Manhattan skyline and with President Trump in attendance along with First Lady Melania Trump in a crowd of 81,118.
There was even the first-ever half-time show at a FIFA tournament, adding a Super Bowl feel to a final played at the home of NFL sides the New York Giants and New York Jets.
As for the football, for the second time in six weeks PSG found themselves involved in a final that quickly turned into a one-sided affair.
The club claimed a historic 5-0 win over Inter Milan in the Champions League final, but here they were ripped apart by Chelsea on another hot afternoon.
Palmer almost put Chelsea ahead inside the opening 10 minutes, before PSG should have scored at the other end only for Desire Doue to try to pass to Achraf Hakimi rather than shoot inside the box, allowing Cucurella to block.
It was Chelsea who struck in the 22nd minute as Malo Gusto got the better of Nuno Mendes down the right before seeing his shot blocked by Lucas Beraldo. The ball came back to Gusto and he teed up Palmer to finish into the bottom-left corner.
Palmer has been the face of Chelsea on billboards in the United States during the tournament and he lived up to his star billing by scoring again on the half-hour.
Released on the right with PSG left-back Mendes out of position, Palmer advanced towards the box before stroking a low shot into the same corner.
Joao Pedro played a part in the build-up to that goal and the Brazilian, signed during the tournament from Brighton, then got his name on the scoresheet to make it 3-0.
Scorer of both goals against Fluminense in the semi-finals, he clipped a shot past Gianluigi Donnarumma after being supplied by Palmer.
PSG had conceded a single goal in their previous eight matches and they never really looked like producing a comeback, even if Neves headed just wide in first-half stoppage time.
Substitute Liam Delap almost got a fourth for Chelsea midway through the second half, before Neves was shown red to complete a bad day for PSG.
Sports
NPFL: Rangers, Abia Warriors, Inter Lagos bag away wins
Defending champions Rangers, Inter Lagos and Abia Warriors recorded away wins on Matchday Four of the Nigeria Premier Football League, NPFL, on Sunday.
Inter Lagos stunned nine-time champions Enyimba 1-0 in Aba.
Ezekiel Moses scored the decisive goal for the visitors in the 18th minute.
Rangers beat Kun Khalifat FC 4-2 in the Oriental derby at the Dan Anyiam Stadium, Owerri.
Preye Seikorowei, Ayuba Umar, Temitope Folarin and Waheed Adebayo scored for Rangers, while Chimobi Igwilo netted twice for Kun Khalifat.
Abia Warriors recorded their first win of the season, edging past Sporting Lagos 2-0 at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena, Onikan.
Ikoi Etta and Emeka Obioma got the goals for Imama Amapakabo’s side.
Sports
LaLiga: Barcelona Reveal Plan For Messi’s Return
Barcelona president, Joan Laporta, has revealed that the Spanish club is planning a tribute for Lionel Messi.
Messi played for the Catalans between 2003 and 2021, winning numerous trophies and individual awards.
The Argentina captain left Barca for Paris Saint-Germain as a free agent.
Although he has announced his retirement from the Argentina national team, Messi is still playing his club football with Inter Miami.
Laporta has now confirmed they plan to honour Messi when the Spotify Camp Nou is ready in 2028.
He said: “We are planning for the Leo Messi tribute once the Spotify Camp Nou is completed.
“It will be a beautiful tribute. We hope to complete the stadium by the start of 2028.”
Sports
Raphinha Hits Second Straight Hat-trick As Barcelona Beat Sevilla
Raphinha continued his extraordinary run of form by scoring a second successive hat-trick as Barcelona defeated Sevilla 3-1 to strengthen their position at the top of La Liga.
The Brazilian winger followed his treble in last Wednesday’s 7-2 victory over Racing Santander with another clinical display at the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan Stadium.
Raphinha now has 14 goals in all competitions this season, while Barcelona have won seven consecutive league matches and eight games in all competitions.
Sevilla took a surprise lead in the 19th minute when Felix Correia delivered a dangerous cross towards the near post, where Youssouf Fofana rose to head past the Barcelona defence.
Their advantage lasted just three minutes.
Raphinha cut inside from the left before calmly finding the bottom corner to restore parity and give Barcelona the platform they needed to take control.
The 29-year-old completed his hat-trick after the interval, with Lamine Yamal playing a key role in both goals.
Yamal’s first contribution came in the 52nd minute when he dribbled away from goal before clipping a cross towards Raphinha, who headed the ball beyond Odysseas Vlachodimos.
The teenage forward was involved once more 17 minutes later, producing an exquisite pass to send Raphinha through on goal.
The Brazilian showed his composure by delicately lifting the ball over Vlachodimos to complete his second hat-trick in the space of five days.
The victory moved Barcelona onto 21 points, giving them a six-point advantage over Real Madrid and third-placed Real Betis, although both rivals had a game in hand.
Real Madrid face city rivals Atletico Madrid on Sunday, while Betis travel to Deportivo La Coruna.
Sevilla remained fifth on 13 points despite suffering their latest defeat.
-
News14 hours agoTeeJay Yusuf mourns Ex-Kogi Governor Ibrahim Idris
-
News18 hours agoEkiti ADC senatorial candidate demands police probe into campaign office attack
-
Sports15 hours agoEPL: Shearer Warns Arsenal After Brighton Humbling
-
News23 hours agoIBB, Abdulsalami Demand Full Probe Into Deaths of 37 Miners in NSCDC Custody
-
News20 hours agoHow God Brought My Wife Back After Six-Month Coma — Akpabio
-
News19 hours agoFraud: EFCC Expands Insurance Recapitalisation Investigations To Industry

Warning: Undefined variable $user_ID in /home/naijuinz/public_html/wp-content/themes/zox-news/comments.php on line 49
You must be logged in to post a comment Login