3 Reasons Why PSG Lost to Chelsea in FIFA Club World Cup 2025 Final?

The coveted Club World Cup trophy has been lifted by a club that a few fans could have predicted. Chelsea, a club which was barely even considered to be a threat by the big shots, have created an upset by defeating PSG 3-0 in the FIFA Club World Cup final with a dominant performance, nullifying all the tactics that Luis Enrique has been implementing and bringing a revolution in terms of football the Parisian side used to play. Let's discuss what led to the collapse of the UEFA Champions League winners in the Chelsea vs PSG showdown in the FIFA Club World Cup final:

After a brace from Cole Palmer and a goal from Joao Pedro, Chelsea were comfortably leading with three goals at half-time, and it looked like it would be a very difficult task for the Champions League winners to get back into the tie. The second half was a fifty-fifty, but PSG always looked like they were chasing the game, being down by such a heavy margin. Robert Sanchez has probably played his best game of the season in the FIFA Club World Cup final, stopping the likes of Desire Doue, Ousmane Dembele, and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. He made a total of five stops in the game, and one of them was deadly, where Ousmane Dembele had a clear opportunity on goal, but he stood firm. Cole Palmer put in a brilliant performance, being involved in all three goals of the game and also supporting the defenders in the second half, when PSG were looking to get more aggressive.

Let's have a look at the three reasons why PSG lost to Chelsea in the FIFA Club World Cup Final.

1. Lack of Defensive Coordination on the Left Side

Nuno Mendes, a player who has just broken all barriers this season and has been working like a machine. His defensive mastery was matched by attacking flair—scoring crucial goals in both legs of the quarter-finals against Aston Villa and netting in the 7–0 rout of Brest. But in this game, his combination with Beraldo has been a nightmare in Chelsea vs PSG; they have failed on various occasions to link up and cope with the pressure Chelsea has put on. Three of the goals in the first half have been from that side, where a clear coordination between Mendes and Beraldo was missing. Joao Pedro's goal, which was assisted by Cole Palmer, was a clear depiction of that, where Palmer easily walked into the tip of the box and put a threaded pass between the two defenders to set up the Brazilian to give the Blues their third goal in the FIFA Club World Cup final.

The second goal for Cole Palmer was also due to the same mistake, as Nuno Mendes was found out of position, and the Englishman took a very easy chance to take a run at the goal, and then Beraldo was easily beaten as he went over for a shot from the centre of the box to complete his brace.

2. Failure of High Press

Under Luis Enrique, PSG presses aggressively from the front, often in a man-to-man structure that suffocates opponents’ build-up play. This is one of the components which has not worked for the Spanish manager in this game, as Chelsea were too intelligent to cut the press away in the FIFA Club World Cup final. Maresca forced an extra player in every facet of the pitch to give an additional passing option for the Blues in the FIFA Club World Cup final and, in turn, negated the press. The swift movement of the ball from Chelsea also created a problem, often finding the players in awkward positions due to their pressing style. It led to counterattacks and carry forwards where Chelsea were very much clinical.

3. Ousmane Dembele's Poor Performance

Ousmane Dembele has become absolutely pivotal to Luis Enrique’s PSG, evolving from a traditional winger into the team’s most decisive attacking weapon. The French winner did not have a single involvement for the French league winners in Chelsea vs PSG, as his threat was very well negated by Chelsea's defenders. He had his first shot in the game around the first quarter of the second half and was very calmly saved by Sanchez. In the FIFA Club World Cup final against Chelsea, Dembele did not look half the player that he has been this season. His performance certainly made a difference to the result of the tie.