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Maresca ‘proud’ as Chelsea reach Club World Cup final
Maresca’s team encountered few problems as they maintained their push for Club World Cup glory after producing an impressive performance to defeat the last non-European team left in the competition.
Chelsea took huge satisfaction from seeing João Pedro mark his full debut by scoring twice against his boyhood club. The forward joined from Brighton for £60m last week and was pivotal in his new team moving to within one win from being crowned club world champions.
“We are very happy, very proud to play the final on Sunday,” Maresca said. “The reason why is because this is the first edition of the Club World Cup. The best clubs in the world are here. For us to be in the final is something to be proud of.
“I know how difficult it is with all the games. Premier League top four, we won the Conference League and now a final here – it is fantastic.”
Maresca was delighted with João Pedro’s impressive display after coming in for the suspended Liam Delap. “I am very happy for João,” the head coach said. “He has quality to decide the game like today. We know he is a good player against teams that defend deep.”