Two-goal hero Cole Palmer says Chelsea silenced doubters with Club World Cup win
The England international scored two fine goals and set up a third for Joao Pedro as the Blues claimed a stunning 3-0 win over Champions League winners Paris St Germain at the MetLife Stadium.
Victory, which landed the Blues a jackpot in excess of £90million, was also a tactical triumph for manager Enzo Maresca.
Asked about how the team is developing under the Italian, Palmer told DAZN: 'He's building something special, something important with a young team.
'Everyone's talked a lot of s*** about us all season, but I feel like we're going in the right direction.'
Reflecting on the game, Palmer added: 'Obviously it's a great feeling, even better because everyone doubted us before the game. We knew that and to go out there and put a fight on like we did against a great team, yes, it's good.
'The gaffer put a great gameplan out. Obviously he knew where the space was going to be and he tried to free me up as much as possible, and I just had to repay him and score some goals.'
Palmer – whose double and assist all came within the space of 21 first-half minutes – was also the decisive player as Chelsea beat Real Betis in the Europa Conference League final in May.
Maresca said: 'These are the games where we expect Cole to appear – big games and big moments – and once again he showed how good he is.'
The tournament itself has been controversial and derided in many quarters but Maresca is in no doubt of the prestige it will bring the club.
As well as the significant prize money, Chelsea will be entitled to wear a badge on their shirts confirming their status as world champions for the next four years.
Maresca said: 'I think it will become as important as the Champions League and we value it as much as winning the Champions League.
'It has been the (best) effort from the team and all the players. I am very happy, especially for them because they deserve the moment.
'Had you told me we were going to win 3-0 in the first half I wouldn't have expected that but we knew we were going to put up a fight and we knew our squad is really competitive against talented teams.'
PSG's misery was complete five minutes from time when Joao Neves was sent off for pulling Marc Cucurella's hair.
Frustration was also evident as scuffles broke out after the final whistle.
PSG manager Luis Enrique became involved in one incident that ended with Pedro on the ground.
Enrique said: 'I saw Maresca had pushed others (away) and we had to separate all the players.
'This is a situation we must all avoid. My intention is that I wanted to separate the footballers so the situation didn't become worse.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
11 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Victorious Lionesses land back in the UK as fans flock to see their Euros heroes ahead of trip to Downing Street - despite being told to STAY AWAY
England fans have flocked to see the victorious Lionesses as they touched down less than 24 hours after defeating Spain in the Euro 2025 final. Supporters had been warned not to travel to the airport to get the first glimpse of the the returning heroes - who were due to land around 2pm before they were delayed for an hour. Given their efforts, the Lionesses would be forgiven for feeling a little worse for wear, but they will be expected to be back on top form for what promises to be packed celebratory schedule. The victorious squad are set to touch down on Monday afternoon before heading off to Downing Street, where they will be hosted by Angela Rayner with PM Sir Keir Starmer in Scotland meeting Donald Trump. Tuesday brings the eagerly awaited open-top bus procession along The Mall, which is set to get underway at 12.10pm and culminate with a staged ceremony at the Queen Victoria Memorial in front of Buckingham Palace starting at approximately 12.30pm. The ceremony event will be hosted by Alex Scott. It's there fans will get the chance to honour their heroes and not upon the squad's arrival to the UK following a directive from the FA on Monday. 'Our history-making Lionesses will return home this afternoon,' wrote a spokesman. 'But due to limited space at the airport, we would advise fans not to travel there today. 'Instead, we look forward to seeing as many of you as possible in Central London tomorrow for the homecoming celebrations.' It is hoped the move will prevent potential overcrowding and logistical issues during a busy period for airports and guarantee the players' and staff's smooth and safe arrival home. It promises to be another extraordinary occasion to rival the trophy parade in Trafalgar Square three years ago. Though dramatic, England's success that time around was comparatively less tense that the one achieved on Sunday night at the St. Jakob-Park. But they were still ultimately grateful for the contribution of Chloe Kelly, the match winner against Germany at Wembley, who scored the decisive penalty to sink Spain. Kelly's introduction part-way through the first half changed the momentum of a game that Spain dominated and looked set to win. The 27-year-old, who - like her Gunners team-mates - adds Euros glory to Champions League success, assisted Alessia Russo's 57th-minute equaliser after Mariona Caldentey's 25th-minute opener. The two sides could not be separated after 120 minutes of action, leading to the dreaded penalty shootout. England goalkeeper Hannah Hampton produced two saves and saw another go wide of the post in the 3-1 shoot-out win. England stars celebrated long into the night after their dramatic penalty shoot-out win over Spain. Players joined family and friends to let their hair down. Match winner Chloe Kelly looked remarkably well rested, given the partying the squad enjoyed after the win Drinks were flowing as friends and family joined the England players in celebration Keira Walsh (left) and Alex Greenwood (right) are among the Lionesses stars to claim their second title Ella Toone sang karaoke as England manager Sarina Wiegman and captain Leah Williamson cut a celebratory cake together. Players were still partying into the early hours of the morning, with Toone's partner Joe Bunney posting a picture at 4.10am on Monday morning. Celebrations began in earnest swiftly after their title defence was assured, with the Lionesses performing a musical number as they left the field. Led by captain Leah Williamson and Beth Mead, England's players belted out 2010 hit Dancing On My Own by Robyn as they exited down the tunnel. The team would later return to the field armed with boxfuls of pizza and cans of beer. Friends and family also joined in the celebrations. Lauren James was seen posing for a group selfie with a large squad of loved-ones, including Chelsea men's captain Reece James. Lauren Hemp celebrated her second European Championship crown by wrapping her arms around girlfriend and former footballer Ashley Hodson. Inside the England dressing room, Grace Clinton, Aggie Beever-Jones and Jess Park shared a selfie with their medals. Beever-Jones had an extra reason to celebrate as Sunday was her 22nd birthday. The Chelsea star captioned an Instagram post: 'BEST BIRTHDAY EVER.' Beever-Jones and Leah Williamson (right) refuelled with pizza and beer after Sunday's big win Maya Le Tissier later uploaded a selfie of herself and Beever-Jones flaunting their medals while on the team bus. It was not only the players in the party mood. Indeed, manager Wiegman discussed her plans for the rest of the evening during a post-match interview. 'I'll do some more dancing,' she said. 'I'll have a drink but I don't think I'll drink as much as the players will do.' By late morning, the squad was seen boarding the coach that would take them to the airport ahead of their trip back. Hemp was seen holding a Lego set based on the Disney movie 'Beauty and the Beast' as she leaves the team hotel in Zurich. Georgia Stanway looked a little jaded as she walked to the team coach followed by young starlet Michelle Agyemang.
South Wales Guardian
an hour ago
- South Wales Guardian
Kelly issues response to doubters after Euro 2025-winning penalty
The 27-year-old scored the decisive spot-kick for England to win the shootout 3-1 as scores remained level at 1-1 against Spain after extra-time. Kelly had come on for the injured Lauren James after 40 minutes and delivered a pinpoint cross to assist Alessia Russo for the equaliser in the second half. It was yet another decisive impact at Euro 2025 from Kelly, who has seen her fortunes transform since joining Arsenal on loan in January this year. 'There were a lot of tears at full-time, especially when I saw my family because those were the people that got me through those tough dark moments,' she reflected. 'That's a story to tell someone that experiences something similar, tough times don't last. 'Just around the corner was a Champions League final, won that. Then a Euros final, won that. Thank you to everyone that wrote me off, I'm grateful." "England are crowned queens of European football again!" 😍 Re-live it all! 👇🍿 Having started the domestic season at Manchester City, Kelly found herself outcast from the squad and struggling to get minutes even as a substitute. But a post on her Instagram story in January stating she wanted to be 'happy again' forced a loan move to Arsenal on deadline day. Having been dropped by England, the following months saw her earn a starting spot in north London and force her way back into favour with Sarina Wiegman, for whom she had plenty of praise. 'She's bloody amazing. She's an incredible woman, what she's done for this country, we should all be so grateful for,' said Kelly. 'What she's done for me individually, she gave me hope when I probably didn't have any. She gave me an opportunity to represent my country again. I knew that I had to get game time and representing England is never a given. "But what she's done for the women's game, not just in England, in the Netherlands she's done it, she's taken it to a whole other level. 'The work doesn't go unnoticed from the staff behind her, they're incredible people and I'm so grateful to have worked with such amazing staff members.' And the Arsenal forward has truly repaid Wiegman's faith in her this tournament. Her 78th-minute introduction in the quarter-finals against Sweden proved decisive as she delivered an assist just over 60 seconds after coming on, before setting up the equaliser just two minutes after that as England drew 2-2. In the semi-finals, too, Kelly scored the winner to send England through to the final and while her introduction came far earlier at St. Jakob Park against Spain, her impact was not reduced. With a knack for delivering in the biggest moments, having scored the winner at Wembley in 2022, she once more stepped up with an assist for the equaliser and a match-winning penalty fired into the top left hand corner. Having done it all before, her celebration was as cool as it gets for a championship winning goal, but the moment still meant everything to the forward who has capped off a fairytale story of redemption. 'I just came onto the pitch and wanted to make something happen. I know Less [Russo]'s strengths and just wanted to put the ball on her head,' Kelly reflected. 'Of course, taking the penalty, I actually missed three penalties in training yesterday but the belief in the squad, in the whole 23 players and the staff members to get us through this tournament. 'I'm really proud to be English right now and I'm proud to be part of an amazing group of girls.'
Reuters
an hour ago
- Reuters
Kyrgyzstan's Petrashov hopes landmark medal at worlds brings more support
July 28 (Reuters) - Denis Petrashov said he hopes his surprise 100 metres breaststroke bronze medal at the world championships in Singapore on Monday will see more resources flow into the sport back home in Kyrgyzstan. Petrashov is one of just two swimmers from Kyrgyzstan at the meet alongside Aiymkyz Aidaralieva but the 25-year-old made his presence felt by finishing behind Qin Haiyang of China and Italian Nicolo Marinenghi at the Singapore Sports Hub. His time of 58.88 was a national record and earned Kyrgyzstan their first-ever medal at the world championships. It was also just 0.65 seconds off Qin's winning mark. "I'm not an emotional person, but this is very emotional for me. First medal for my country at the worlds, so very proud and happy. I was not expecting this at all," said Petrashov, who was swimming in lane 1. "I had no idea where I was in the race. I saw the turn, we were close to each other, but I didn't see anything. "Of course we all want to win something. This was the final, I had nothing to lose. If you have a lane, you have a chance. It means a lot." Petrashov, who has competed at three Olympic Games and won silver at the Youth Olympics in 2018, hoped his medal would raise the profile of the sport in the Central Asian country. "Swimming is not very popular in my country. Hopefully, we'll get more resources for swimming. We don't have an Olympic-sized pool in Kyrgyzstan," he added. "Hopefully this is a big step to more things."
