Rare is the day a player earns a first start for their new team in the semifinal of a competition despite being under contract with an entirely different club during the group stage, but leave it to the new-look Club World Cup to shoehorn a new quirk into the structured soccer calendar.

Joao Pedro's first start for Chelsea was a rather memorable one, as the newly signed $75-million striker scored both goals and the Blues beat Fluminense, Pedro's boyhood club, 2-0 in the semifinals of the 2025 Club World Cup on Tuesday.

João Pedro showed why he might be just the player Chelsea needed, sending the Blues to the Club World Cup final by scoring both goals in a 2-0 win over Fluminense.