Mumbai, July 9: Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca praised new signing Joao Pedro and expressed satisfaction after his team booked a place in the FIFA Club World Cup final with a 2-0 win over Fluminense on Wednesday (IST). Pedro, making his first start for Chelsea since joining from Brighton & Hove Albion last week, made an immediate impact. The 23-year-old Brazilian striker scored on either side of halftime at MetLife Stadium near New York City, reports Xinhua. Joao Pedro Scores Twice Against Boyhood Team As Chelsea Beats Fluminense 2–0 To Reach FIFA Club World Cup 2025 Final (Watch Goal Video Highlights).

"The last few years have not been what this club deserves, but this year luckily things went pretty well, and now we are in the final. We are very proud to help the team be back where they deserve to be. We are very happy and very proud to be in the final on Sunday because this is the first edition of the (revamped) Club World Cup and the best clubs in the world are here," said Maresca.

"I am very happy for Joao. He has the quality to decide games like today," Maresca said. "We knew what Joao was like. We brought him in because this season we faced many teams with low blocks and his quality is very good against these kinds of teams."

Pedro chose not to celebrate out of respect for Fluminense, where he began his professional career.

"They gave me everything when I was young, they helped introduce me to the world, I'm thankful to them, but this is my job now. I feel bad for them, but I have to be a professional," said Pedro, who was named player of the match. Kylian Mbappe Becomes First Real Madrid Footballer To Score in Seven Different Competitions in Single Season, Achieves Landmark Record During FIFA Club World Cup 2025 Against Borussia Dortmund.

Fluminense coach Renato Gaucho acknowledged Chelsea's deserved win but said he was proud of his team's performance, which ended South America's hopes in the tournament.

"Fluminense had a remarkable run, and we've helped restore some respect for Brazilian football," said Gaucho. "We defeated some strong teams along the way. Even though we're out, we leave with our heads held high."

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 09, 2025 02:08 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).