Chelsea has booked their place in the Club World Cup final thanks to a 1-0 victory over Al-Hilal on Wednesday night.
A first-half goal from Romelu Lukaku made the difference in Abu Dhabi, although the European champions had to fight hard to eliminate their opponents from Saudi Arabia.
Chelsea dominated possession for much of the first 45 minutes, but Al-Hilal could still offer a counter-attacking threat when the Blues became too passive or lost focus.
Lukaku had squandered a series of half-chances during the first half-hour before he finally put Chelsea ahead soon after, seizing the ball that fell at his feet inside the box and into the net.
Although he generally controlled things, Chelsea was aware that they needed a second goal after the break, and Kai Havertz came close to achieving it by advancing into the penalty area before hitting the post from a sharp angle.
However, Al-Hilal midfielder Mohamed Kanno reminded the Premier League side that they were in a game with a long shot, while the English team’s backline had to react to avoid a shot from Odion Ighalo.
Kepa Arrizabalaga then had to react well to parry Moussa Marega, who had played behind Thiago Silva, before the Spaniard made an almost miraculous one-handed save to deflect Kanno’s long-range shot behind the post.
Jang Hyun-soo kept up the pressure with a header that went just wide, but Al-Hilal struggled to maintain their momentum for the final 15 minutes.
Chelsea’s game management came to light as time went on and although they failed to double their lead in the process, the West Londoners did enough to stage a showdown with Brazilian giants Palmeiras on Saturday night.
