Club World Cup: Joao Pedro announces himself to Chelsea fans with brace in Fluminense clash

João Pedro had a dream debut for Chelsea, scoring twice to help the Blues beat Fluminense 2-0 and advance to the Club World Cup final.

The Brazilian scored on either side of halftime, as Enzo Maresca's side showed their superiority over the Brazilians. They will play either Real Madrid or Paris Saint-Germain in the final.

Chelsea had a strong start and had a slew of early chances thwarted by Fluminense's sturdy backline. However, the Blues broke the deadlock in the 18th minute when João Pedro, on his debut, curled a beautiful shot around Fabio and into the net after a Pedro Neto cross.

Chelsea continued to press for a second goal, with Malo Gusto's header coming close, while Fluminense carved out a promising chance through Hercules, who was denied by a Cucurella clearance off the line. A potential penalty for Chelsea was overturned after a VAR review, and the score remained 1-0 at halftime.

The second half saw Chelsea continue to push for a second goal. Fluminense, meanwhile, threatened on the counter-attack, with substitute Everaldo forcing a save from the Chelsea goalie

 However, it was Chelsea who scored the decisive second goal 10 minutes into the half, courtesy of a Cole Palmer-initiated counter-attack that ended with Pedro rifling a strike into the net.

Nicolas Jackson had chances to improve the scoreline late in the game, but Pedro's brace proved sufficient to clinch a ticket to the final, as Fluminense failed to get back into the game.