Chelsea ends Fluminense's American rebellion

This Club World Cup was portrayed as a duel between South America and Europe, with the old continent clearly favored, and with guests from the rest of the world at the party. But four Brazilian teams made it to the round of 16 and shattered the establishment's predictions. Fluminense entered these semifinals as the underdog, like that uncomfortable guest you're dying to leave so the party can really begin. And the party started with Joao Pedro at the helm. Two stunning goals eliminated the last American vestige in the tournament and ended the rebellion. [Narration and statistics, 0-2]

The first few minutes were a testing effort. Boxers used those jabs to test their opponents, but Jhon Arias always looked for something different. The Colombian is one of the tournament's great discoveries: incisive, with great control of the ball and the tempo of the game.

The first nail in the coffin was laid by a former Brazilian player. Joao Pedro fired a shot from the edge of the box into Fabio 's far corner. It was the first time in the tournament that the Flu started losing. They dominated completely, and there was little to show for it. Chelsea applied the Americans' recipe: pressure and physicality.

But in a ridiculous mistake by the British, Hércules squeezed through a gap in the defensive line to face a sluggish Robert Sánchez . The ball looped between the goalkeeper's legs, but Cucurella saved it on the line. A flash in the pan, which could have turned into a blaze if they had taken advantage of the opportunities the set piece presented them past the halfway point of the first half. The clearest was a penalty that VAR ruled for a handball in a natural position by Chalobah .

The match changed little after the break; the lead was narrow, and the Brazilians seemed content to force extra time. There was no rush. Renato Gaucho had never had one throughout the tournament, although on this occasion he decided to break his usual five-man line to bring on two forwards. The move almost worked out for him if Everaldo had scored with the first ball he touched. But luck turned on the next play, a Chelsea counterattack that caught the Brazilians off guard. It was four against one, but Joao Pedro tried to settle the score himself with another brilliant goal.

The Brazilians sounded the alarm with very offensive changes to fight for the slim chances they had left to reach the final. However, the chances were England's, with Cole Palmer much more in tune and enjoying more space in the second half. The clock ticked inexorably, and Fluminese's faith dwindled inversely. The Americans' hopes died in the wake of their last survivor. They fell with honors in the semifinals, when no one expected it. Europe quelled the rebellion.