"To New York.."- After Flamengo’s dig, Chelsea hits back with class

Chelsea booked their place in the FIFA 2025 Club World Cup final after beating Fluminense 2-0 in the semi-final encounter on Tuesday. The Blues reached the final but their performances against the Brazilian teams weren’t satisfactory in the tournament. Earlier, they had suffered a 3-1 defeat over Flamengo in the group stage encounter. Following that defeat, the Flamengo took a dig at the Premier League side by sharing a cheeky remark on their social media handle. 

“Where did the Chelsea fans go”, Flamengo wrote on ‘X’. 

After reaching the final, Chelsea have now responded to that comment with grace. 

"To New York for the Club World Cup final."

To New York for the Club World Cup final. 😉 https://t.co/KGpRHTOvuU

— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) July 9, 2025

Making his first appearance for Chelsea, Joao Pedro scored a brace against Fluminense to take Chelsea to the FIFA Club World Cup final on Tuesday. He made two eye-catching finishes in the 18th and 56th minutes to give his team 2-0 lead. 

Following the win, Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca heaped praise on Pedro pointing out the reason why they signed him. 

“I am very happy for Joao. He has the quality to decide games like today. 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,” Maresca said of the 23-year-old striker. 

The Brazilian forward chose not to celebrate his goals for Chelsea, as they came against the club where he grew up learning the game. Pedro started his career with Fluminense’s youth academy in 2011. Initially, playing as a defensive midfielder, he transitioned into a striker. 

“When I was young they gave everything to me, they showed me to the world,” he said after collecting his award for player of the match. “If I am here now it is because they believed in me, so, I am very grateful, but this is football, I feel sorry for [eliminating] them, but I have to do my job,” he added.

Chelsea to face PSG in FIFA Club World Cup Final 2025 

Meanwhile, Chelsea will be facing Paris Saint Germain in the FIFA Club World Cup final 2025 on Sunday, 13th July 2025. In a much anticipated encounter, Paris Saint Germain thrashed Real Madrid 4-0 in the other semi-final, courtesy of two goals from Fabian Ruiz and and one from Ousmane Dumbele. Paris Saint Germain were 3-0 ahead after just 24 minutes. Goncalo Ramos made it 4-0 after netting one in the 87th minute.

Playing his first game of the tournament, Kylian Mbappe failed to make an impact for Madrid.