Chelsea’s outstanding Club World Cup victory against PSG threatened to be overshadowed at full-time by an incident involving new signing Joao Pedro.
The Blues ran out dominant 3-0 winners over the Champions League holders, with Cole Palmer scoring twice and assisting Pedro for the third before half-time.
After the final whistle though, there was a big clash involving players and staff of both sides broke out, with the Brazilian being dropped to the floor.
This came following an altercation with Luis Enrique, with Enzo Maresca having to take his players away to celebrate with their fans at the MetLife stadium.
Joao Pedro explains clash with Luis Enrique after Chelsea’s Club World Cup final win
It remains to be seen if there will be any retrospective action coming the way of the PSG manager, with goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma also heavily involved in proceedings.
Many believe it was a case of a side who have not lost very often this season frustrated that they had been well-beaten in a final, and Pedro has now given his side of the story.
He told GE Globo that he was looking to defend club and international teammate Andrey Santos after he was surrounded at the final whistle.
He said: “I went to protect Andrey. I saw the players surrounding him. Like a good Brazilian, I went to protect a friend. A lot of people were arriving, and in that mess, I ended up getting shoved. It’s part of it. They didn’t know how to lose, I believe. It’s part of it. Now it’s time to celebrate.”
French media not happy with Joao Pedro
Pedro announced himself as one of the most impactful players at the tournament despite not joining up with his new squad until the quarter-final stage.
He made an impact off the bench on his debut before playing a starring role in the last two games of the competition.
French media were unhappy Pedro was allowed to play at all for Chelsea in the United States, given he was not part of the squad when the tournament kicked off.
The rules are clear though, and they would do well to remember they benefitted from the mid-season addition of Khvicha Kvaratskhelia in their Champions League winning run, with them meandering in the group stage table before his arrival.
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