Short summary of CWC win

Club World Cup – Abu Dhabi

What better way is there to spend your February than escaping the cold English weather to follow Chelsea in the Club World Cup in sunny Abu Dhabi? A very misunderstood tournament by many in Europe, yet revered on every other corner of the globe, it was interesting to see just how significant this cup was to the teams competing in it. A question mark still stood over how seriously Chelsea would take this, but if the strength of the travelling squad and sharp words from Thomas Tuchel in the media were anything to go by, they were there to win it from the start… because winning trophies? It’s a Chelsea thing.

Wednesday 09-Feb: Al Hilal vs. Chelsea

The first test came in the semi-final against the 2021 AFC Champions League winners Al Hilal. A team with a very strong following in attendance, they were never going to make it easy. However, they were not the only team with a passionate following in Abu Dhabi. It was great to meet several fans from both the Dubai Blues group & the Kerala Blues who were in full voice before, throughout and after the game. A somewhat uneventful first half was livened up just as the clock passed 31 minutes as Romelu Lukaku was in the right place to slot home what came to be the match-winning goal. The next 60 minutes were nail-biting as Chelsea held on to reach the final of the Club World Cup for just the second time in the club’s history.

Saturday 12-Feb: Chelsea vs. Palmeiras

Being in Abu Dhabi for this tournament, and around fans from clubs from all over the world, I really came to understand that no country respects this tournament more than the Brazilians. Second, behind only the World Cup itself, this trophy would mean a lot to Palmeiras and their fans who were also looking to win it for the very first time in their history. The noise inside the stadium was electrifying throughout, with the Brazilians vastly outnumbering the travelling Chelsea fans who still could be heard loud and clear (we even had Belle Silva, Thiago Silva’s wife, a few rows behind us in the stands starting the “Ohhh Thiago Silva” chants during the game). A rumoured 15,000 Palmeiras fans made the 18+ hour trip from Sao Paulo to Abu Dhabi, washing over the city in their famous green kit. But through the sea of green, it was the blue wave that broke the tide, a decisive 116^th-minute penalty by Kai Havertz handed Chelsea their first Club World Cup trophy, sending the Chelsea fans in the stands into absolute bedlam – an experience I will never forget.