Chelsea coach Thomas Tuchel described winning the Club World Cup as an “incomparable feeling” as the European champions got their hands on the last major trophy missing from their cabinet.
Havertz, the hero
Kai Havertz repeated his heroics from the Champions League final in May, nervelessly converting a penalty deep into extra time as Chelsea overcame Palmeiras 2-1 on Saturday. The Blues become the third English club to win the competition after Manchester United and Liverpool.
Chelsea coach Thomas Tuchel
“Maybe this cup or this tournament is not so highly regarded in Europe, but once you’re here and once you feel it, it totally catches you,” said Tuchel. “You’re on the bus and you drive in the evening and you see the lights of the stadium, and you don’t know the other team because they don’t come from you country, not from your league, it’s a fantastic feeling. And it’s incomparable to any other feeling and so that’s why it’s so beautiful.”
Chelsea’s victory was all the more enjoyable for Tuchel, who only arrived in Abu Dhabi on Friday after a race against the clock following his positive COVID-19 test last week. He was forced to leave assistants Zsolt Low and Arno Michels to guide the team in his absence, resorting to video calls to stay in constant contact with players and staff.
“Several times I was on my way to the airport and on the way back from there while I was driving because the test was not negative,” explained Tuchel.
Watched SF in office
“It was not nice to watch the semi-finals at the office on the screen. As a coach you want to be on the sideline. And I’m happy now that all the effort was worth it and we managed to get the cup.”
With the missing piece of the jigsaw secure, Tuchel shook hands out on the pitch with club owner Roman Abramovich, the Russian billionaire whose funds have transformed Chelsea. Chelsea return to Premier League action next weekend against Crystal Palace.
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