Chelsea squeaked by Al Hilal in the FIFA Club World Cup semifinal on Saturday, winning the match by a score of 1-0. Romelu Lukaku got the scoring started for the Blues after half an hour, which looked to be the goal to open the floodgates for the reigning European Champions. That assumption could not have been more wrong. Instead, the English side saw out a scrappy contest against their Saudi Arabian opponents. There were some big individual moments in the game, but overall, it required a great team effort to see out the game.
Chelsea is now through to the final of the Club World Cup. The match will be played on Saturday in the UAE. Similar to 2012—the only other CWC final the Blues have played in—a Brazilian giant will oppose them. Palmeiras is the opponent, but before moving on to preview that contest, let’s break down each player’s performance against Al Hilal on Wednesday.
Here is how each player performed in the Blues’ Club World Cup semifinal victory:
Kepa Arrizabalaga (Goalkeeper): 9/10
Kepa Arrizabalaga has come a long way in the last few months. He went from being overtaken by a near 40-year-old Willy Caballero in the UEFA Champions League to winning trophies in abundance. He remains Chelsea’s No. 2, but that is largely due to the excellence of Edouard Mendy. Regardless, in the Senegalese’s absence, Arrizabalaga has stepped up big time. He put in another Man of the Match worthy shift versus Al Hilal as his two massive saves kept the Blues from another stressful finish to a game. Arrizabalaga has a chance to become a massive part of the club’s rich history on Saturday.
Andreas Christensen (Right centerback): 9/10
I cannot say enough about the shift Andreas Christensen put in against the AFC Champions League winners on Wednesday. He was everywhere in defense, cutting out passes and making tackles for fun. It was nice to see the Dane get a full 90 minutes under his belt following a precautionary switch that saw him yanked at halftime against Plymouth. Christensen stepped up to the occasion and supporters even saw a bit of uncharacteristic aggression from the centerback.
Thiago Silva (Centerback): 8.5/10
Thiago Silva would’ve gotten a lot more praise from fans during the match if it wasn’t for Christensen’s brilliance. He made numerous blocks on shots to prevent Arrizabalaga from making diving saves behind him. Silva was cool under pressure from Al Hilal throughout, seldom making mistakes with his passes or reading of the game. An underrated nugget of information surrounding the Club World Cup is the fact the Brazilian has yet to win this competition. Similar to Cesar Azpilicueta, a win on Saturday would be the cherry on top of an excellent career.
Antonio Rudiger (Left centerback): 7/10
On a day where Chelsea returned to a back three and his centerback partners were excellent, Antonio Rudiger was the definition of average. Perhaps that’s a bit harsh to say about the German, but on that same note, it’s fair to expect the absolute most out of a man who hasn’t put a foot wrong in the last 12 months. It was a decent performance from Rudiger, nothing spectacular.