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Chelsea’s FIFA Club World Cup campaign began on Wednesday against Asian champions Al Hilal in the semi-final. After 90 minutes, though, the Blues only emerged victorious following a narrow 1-0 win at the Mohammad Bin Zayed Stadium.
Thomas Tuchel was missing from the dugout after returning a positive COVID-19 test. So first-team coach Zsolt Low was in charge of ensuring that the German manager’s instructions were duly followed by the players on the pitch. The Blues weren’t too convincing, but they managed to do the most important thing - score to advance to the final.
Romelu Lukaku and Kepa Arrizabalaga spare Blues’ blushes
Chelsea have Romelu Lukaku to thank for making it to the final. The Belgian hasn’t been at his best recently, but it was his goal that secured victory against Al Hilal.
Lukaku took advantage of a defensive mix-up in the box of the Saudi Arabian side to smash the ball home for his ninth goal of the season. The Blues, though, needed Kepa Arrizabalaga to also be at his best to keep that lead intact. The Spanish goalkeeper pulled off two clutch saves in the final 20 minutes to deny Al Hilal an equaliser.
The Blues have won every major competition they’ve featured in, except for the FIFA Club World Cup. To emerge champions on Saturday, the Blues will need to improve on their semi-final performance.
Chelsea’s smash-and-grab may backfire in final
Chelsea will face South American champions Palmeiras, who defeated Al Ahly in the other semi-final, in the final of the competition.
While Al Hilal proved to be a stubborn opposition, the Brazilian side would be a tougher nut to crack. The Blues were largely passive against the Saudi Arabian side. Should they repeat that performance, they are likely to be punished by Palmeiras, who boast more quality than Al Hilal.
“We worked very hard, but we missed a little bit of freedom and rhythm,” Blues first-team coach Low said, as quoted by Chelseafc.com.
“We started a little bit nervously, and didn’t do the easy things. We fought hard to find a solution on the pitch, but we didn’t find it easy. To get to the final of this competition is very important for the club. We have never won it, and that’s why the players felt the pressure, but they did very well to not concede, and we had opportunities to score a second goal.”
The last time Chelsea were in the final of the Club World Cup, they lost to Corinthians in 2012. Another Brazilian side now stands in their way this year. The Blues must be better than they were in the semi-final if they’re going to win the trophy.
Regarding the possible availability of Tuchel for the big game, Low said:
"Everybody hopes Thomas can travel as soon as possible. He is following government rules and is in self-isolation. We do every day a PCR test and when we have the first negative result it will open the possibility for Thomas to travel. We are waiting for it and we are sure he can come and he can enjoy the final."
