Chelsea were putting on a dominant performance against Paris Saint-Germain in the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 final, with the French side desperate to cut into a 3–0 deficit. But as frustration began to boil over, João Neves was shown a straight red card for pulling Marc Cucurella’s hair.
Following a stunning first-half display, Chelsea held firm in the second half while PSG began to unravel under pressure. Despite pushing for a miracle comeback, Luis Enrique’s side couldn’t break through a resolute Robert Sánchez—who stood tall between the posts—before tempers flared in the final minutes.
With the ball meters away from them, Cucurella applied light pressure on Neves, and the PSG midfielder responded by grabbing a handful of the defender’s hair, sending him to the ground. Referee Alireza Faghani initially issued a yellow card, but after a VAR review, the decision was upgraded to a red.
The incident left PSG down to ten men in the 85th minute, compounding an already dismal night in East Rutherford. Neves exited the pitch immediately and headed to the locker room, while Luis Enrique opted not to make a substitution to reinforce the midfield.
A heated ending to a high-stakes final
As expected from a final of this magnitude, tensions simmered throughout. The match finished with a total of 27 fouls—15 committed by Chelsea, 12 by PSG—and numerous confrontations sparked after Cole Palmer’s opening goal, with PSG players unhappy with the celebration.
Things escalated further after the final whistle when Luis Enrique was spotted grabbing Chelsea’s João Pedro by the neck—an incident that could result in disciplinary action for the Spanish coach. Still, Chelsea kept their composure after taking the lead early, going on to claim the first-ever title in the revamped FIFA Club World Cup.
