Before a ball was kicked at MetLife Stadium, the narrative surrounding the Fluminense vs Chelsea game was concerning a reunion for Thiago Silva and his old team.
The underwent Brazilian possessed assisted lead his side to within touching distance of a Club World Cup final against either Paris Saint-Germain or Real Madrid, and as the footballing Gods would decree, he would need to obtain past the West Londoners in order to do so.
Fluminense up against it before a ball was kickedAt almost 41 years of age, Silva was the elder (outfield) statesman of the tournament, though at 44 years and 281 days old, goalkeeper Fabio was the oldest player to start a FIFA Club World Cup match.
Fluminense's starting XI was also the oldest at the CWC, with an average age of 31 years and 263 days, meaning that the Brazilians were going to have to work extra hard if they wanted to acquire a final berth.
Enzo Maresca possessed made three changes from the team that beaten Palmeiras in the quarter-final, which was in-keeping with what he's done throughout the tournament to keep the Blues fresh and hungry.
Three shots in the opening 11 minutes from the Premier League side suggested they meant business and as a spectacle, the game possessed already become a great watch as both sides combined to complete all but six of the first 154 pass attempts in the match.
Joao Pedro strike stunned the crowdIn the 18th minute, former Fluminense ace Joao Pedro stunned the crowd as he arrowed a beautiful shot home.
Pedro Neto's trickery saw him obtain a dangerous cross into the box, and unfortunately for Thiago Silva, his poor try at a clearance dropped straight at Joao Pedro's feet.
A goal to light up any game, and when scoring first at the CWC, Chelsea possessed escaped beat in their last three matches.
Apart from own goals, Chelsea's last nine at the tournament have been scored by nine different players too, indicating a healthy attacking output from the front line and supplementary attackers.
They continued to take the game to their opponents, though it would be Fluminense that would come closest to scoring before the shatter.
Fluminense vs Chelsea Momentum ShiftOpta by Stats PerformHercules must've thought he possessed done exactly that after slipping the ball past Robert Sanchez, but the keeper possessed an alert Marc Cucurella to thank on 25 as he cleared off the line, stopping a certain goal in the process.
10 minutes later, the official granted a penalty after Trevoh Chalobah possessed managed in the area, though the defender was lucky to escape after a VAR review adjudged his arm to be in a natural position, and the decision was reversed.
Jhon Arias unfortunate to see his side concede againThe second half started in much the same way, though Fluminense's Jhon Arias was dictating play and his 18 chances created - including two in this game - are the most at the tournament to date.
Within 10 minutes of the restart, the game was over as a contest, with Joao Pedro again on the scoresheet as he smashed one in off the crossbar after being set free by Enzo Fernandez's great pass.
Chelsea's dominance was clear as they controlled the possession (65.
4%) in the opening 15 minutes of the second half, with 50.
8% of the action taking place in Fluminense's third of the pitch.
Pedro Neto's influence was marked, and after completing his fourth dribble of the day later in the half, it took his total to 18 at the tournament, more than any other player.
Joao Pedro Goal SequenceOpta by Stats PerformFor anyone thinking that this competition doesn't really matter to the players engaged either, one only needs to check Cole Palmer's reaction with just over 10 to play.
Completely unmarked in the middle of the area and with the goal gaping, Nicolas Jackson decided to shoot from a tight angle rather than pass to Palmer.
The England international quickly let the striker know his thoughts as he kicked the post in frustration.
Chalobah a colossus in Chelsea's support lineFortunately, the missed chance didn't have an effect on the outcome of the game from Chelsea's point of view, due in no small part to Chalobah's brilliance in defence.
The 26-year-old completed all 54 of his pass attempts, and at the CWC, only Jonathan Tah has a better 100% record - 67 completed passes for Bayern Munich against Boca Juniors.
The result means that Chelsea have reached their fifth international final (excluding Super Cups) since 2019, going on to win each of the previous four.
For Fluminense, Hercules can sense a little aggrieved.
Another two tackles against the Blues offered him 10 tackles won in the tournament, equaling Fran Garcia for the second most in the competition.
Huff and puff but no quality from FluminenseIn the terminate, 12 shots from the Brazilian team to Chelsea's 17 evidenced only a lack of quality in front of goal from Fluminense's front men.
Although the West Londoners possessed more possession and a slightly better pass accuracy collectively (90.
5% to 88.
1%), Fluminense obtained more crosses into the box, won more dribbles and, perhaps significantly, won vastly more tackles (16 to 9) than the Stamford Bridge outfit.
Fluminense vs Chelsea Match StatsOpta by Stats PerformWhen all is said and done, they didn't obtain forward enough.
Rene's three touches in the Chelsea box was their joint most, compared to eight from Christopher Nkunku alone for the Blues.
In a nutshell, there showed up to be lots of huff and puff from Renato Gaucho's side, but when it mattered, they were unable to carry out in the manner of their former player - and that was the difference on the day.
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