Wayne Lumbasi
Chelsea beat their Saudi opponents Al Hilal 1-0 on Wednesday in a semifinal match of the 2021 FIFA Club World Cup in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates and will take on Palmeiras from Brazil in the final.
Chelsea dominated possession throughout the match as was to be expected. Hakim Ziyech narrowly missed the target with a swerving early shot, while Lukaku had other opportunities to get on the score-sheet before he actually did.
Romelu Lukaku’s much-needed goal proved the winner as Chelsea held on nervously to claim their place in the Club World Cup final with a 1-0 win over Al Hilal at the Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi.
However, Al-Hilal, featuring names and faces familiar to Premier League fans: Odion Ighalo and Matheus Pereira, still posed a threat of their own. Ex-Porto striker Moussa Marega was sniffing around for chances and at one stage fired into the side netting.
Chelsea and Palmeiras are poised to fight for the title on Saturday. The English club were the 2021 UEFA Champions League winners and Palmeiras won South America’s top-tier Copa Liberators that same year.
The Blues will now have three days to rest and recover, knowing they will have to perform for the entire 90 minutes if they’re to beat the Brazilian giants.
They will also need to atone for the bitter disappointment they suffered in this competition back in 2012 when they lost to Corinthians in a penalty shootout.
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