Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca has expressed delight over the impact of new signing Joao Pedro after he netted a brace in the 2-0 win over Fluminense in the FIFA Club World Cup semi-finals on Thursday, Afrosport reports.
The 23-year-old Brazilian joined the Blues from Brighton & Hove Albion in a £60 million move and connected with the team in the United States, starting the game against Fluminense, netting his brace in either half.
Maresca, speaking after the match, said he was already aware of what Pedro was capable of doing against teams who set up like Fluminense.
“I am very happy for Joao. He has the quality to decide games, but also he was on holiday so is probably a bit more fresh compared to the rest,” the Italian said.
“We knew what Joao was like. We brought him in because this season we faced many teams with low blocks, and his quality is very good against these kinds of teams.”
Meanwhile, Pedro refused to celebrate his two goals out of respect to Fluminense, having starting his career there as a youth player in 2011 before playing for the first team in 2019.
“When I was young, they gave everything to me, they showed me to the world,” he said.
“If I am here now, it is because they believed in me, so I am very grateful, but this is football, I have to be professional. I feel sorry for them, but I have to do my job.”
Take a bow, Joao Pedro. 🙌 pic.twitter.com/l8eQwa0noR
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) July 8, 2025
Pedro moved to Watford in 2020, where he spent three years before joining Brighton.
