Chelsea opened their Club World Cup campaign with a dominant, albeit relatively uneventful, 2–0 victory that sees them temporarily top Group D. The result was expected, as Chelsea came in as heavy favorites, and it now puts them just one win away from virtually securing a spot in the Round of 16.

With that said, let’s dive into the player ratings from today’s match…

Starters

Robert Sanchez: 6.5/10

Not much to do for the Spaniard today, but he made all four saves required of him and kept a clean sheet. He seems to have carried over his strong shot-stopping form from the end of last season. However, his distribution still leaves much to be desired, with poor execution on anything beyond simple passes to his centre backs.

Marc Cucurella: 7.5/10

Chelsea’s runner-up Player of the Season once again showed his class, playing all 90 minutes while winning 4 of his 5 duels and posing an attacking threat with his well-timed runs into the box. Hopefully, the team can find a way to give him some rest on Friday, ideally limiting him to just a half at most.

Levi Colwill: 7/10

It wasn’t Colwill’s usual self in terms of passing today, but he showed his defensive quality by winning all three of his duels and playing a key role in preventing Giroud from getting through on goal when the score was 1–0. He also made a smart run down the left-hand flank and earned a corner out of nothing. He continues to earn the faith of the fanbase.

Tosin Adarabioyo: 6.5/10

Another key contributor to the clean sheet, Tosin mopped up plenty of threats with his four clearances. He wasn’t great in duels, winning only 25% of them, and his passing was back to being hit or miss, just lacking a bit of touch. Still, it was a solid performance overall from Tosin.

Reece James: 7/10

The captain was solid without being spectacular. He was at his best in one-on-one defending and made some nice passes in possession. He was subbed off at halftime, likely as a precaution to manage his hamstrings, but overall it was a good outing from the skipper.

Romeo Lavia: 6/10

The youngster looked a bit off tonight. While he remained calm on the ball, his decision-making was a little slow, leading to some poor losses of possession. He was okay defensively but it was certainly not his best outing in blue. Like James, he was taken off at halftime, likely as a precaution due to previous injury concerns.

Moises Caicedo: 7.5/10

It was another industrial performance from Caicedo, who bossed the midfield and was deployed more as an 8 rather than his usual role as a 6. He looked far more comfortable when Enzo came on at halftime, helping the team progress more effectively and allowing Caicedo to sit deeper and focus on breaking up play.

Cole Palmer: 7/10

Another useful performance from the star man, who looked threatening for most of the evening. Nothing quite came off for Palmer, but he remained dangerous down the right flank, especially when given the freedom to roam. LAFC congested the middle of the park so much that it became difficult for Palmer to find time and space on the ball.

Noni Madueke: 5/10

He looked lively to start but completely lost control after his first shot. To his defense, Noni was played down the left, but even so, he couldn’t get past the first defender or create anything while on the ball. He will likely still be starting, but it was not a good start to the Club World Cup for Noni.

Nicolas Jackson: 8/10

Jackson was great on the ball once again, effectively holding it up and providing lovely link-up play more often than not. He produced a brilliant assist for Neto with an outstanding line-breaking through ball from halfway that broke the deadlock. His 60 minutes were very, very good, and he provided a solid outlet throughout the game.

Pedro Neto: 8.5/10

The best player on the park tonight was constantly a threat down the right-hand side. He was able to cut inside and deliver crosses, as well as use his speed to get around the fullbacks. He scored a great goal by burning his man and finishing after Nico Jackson threaded a perfect pass to Neto, who then put it in near post past Lloris. He grew into the game as it went on and should have also earned an assist for a chance created for Cole Palmer.

Ref cam’s of Neto’s goal is AMAZING 🤯

Watch the @FIFACWC | June 14 – July 13 | Every game. Free. | https://t.co/i0K4eUu4lJ | #FIFACWC #TakeItToTheWorld #CHELAF pic.twitter.com/rvyja1JcQ2

— DAZN Football (@DAZNFootball) June 16, 2025

Bench

Enzo Fernandez: 7.5/10

Came on at halftime and dictated the game from that point forward. He changed the tempo with his fizzing passes and ability to break lines, and he capped it off with a goal from one of his trademark box-crashing runs, finishing off a Liam Delap assist. Enzo made a huge difference and once again proved why he is so important to the Blues.

Delap’s first assist, from all angles! 📹

Watch the @FIFACWC | June 14 – July 13 | Every game. Free. | https://t.co/i0K4eUtwwb | #FIFACWC #TakeItToTheWorld #CHELAF pic.twitter.com/w8PJZbHlQD

— DAZN Football (@DAZNFootball) June 16, 2025

Malo Gusto: 6/10

Came on for Reece James at halftime, and there was a clear drop in quality at the right-back position. He had a few decent counter-pressing moments but was beaten too easily in one-on-one situations.

Tyrique George: 6/10

The young Cobham graduate had nearly 30 minutes on the field and didn’t offer too much, but after Madueke’s underwhelming performance, he may get a look in as a starter next time out.

Liam Delap: 7/10

A Chelsea debut for the Englishman, and grabbing an assist is a great way to start. He also offered strong attacking runs and brought a level of physicality that the Chelsea attack has been missing.

Christopher Nukunku & Dario Essugo: N/A