Mueez Ajao
– Chelsea will meet Brazilian side Palmeiras in the Club World Cup final after edging past Al-Hilal at the Mohamed bin Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi.
– Romelu Lukaku scored the only goal in the first half.
– The Blues will now look to lift the only trophy that has evaded them across Roman Abramovich’s 19-year ownership of the club.
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– Boss Thomas Tuchel missed the game as he was isolating after testing positive for Covid-19.
– Chelsea dominated from the start against the Saudi Arabian side, and their breakthrough came from Lukaku just after the half-hour mark.
– Kai Havertz’s left-wing cross was inadvertently headed into the Belgian’s path by Yasser Al Shahrani, and he rifled home from point-blank range.
– It was Lukaku’s ninth goal of the season and ended a six-game drought, after he missed a couple of opportunities earlier in the match.
– Two minutes after the break, Havertz burst through on goal and clipped the post from a tight angle, despite having Lukaku and Hakim Ziyech for support in the area.
– Asian Champions Al-Hilal barely threatened until Mohamed Kanno shot over from distance after combining well with former West Bromwich Albion midfielder Matheus Pereira.
– Chelsea keeper Kepa Arrizabalaga then denied Moussa Marega from eight yards out, while Odion Ighalo and Kanno saw shots blocked as Chelsea struggled to put the game to bed.
– But the European Champions held on in the end and, in Saturday’s final, will have the chance to avenge defeat in this competition a decade after their last appearance.
