"He absolutely deserves it" - Tuchel lauds 'fantastic' Chelsea star for his role in FIFA Club World Cup victory

Chelsea secured a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Palmeiras to become only the third English side (after Manchester United and Liverpool) to win the FIFA Club World Cup.

Romelu Lukaku opened the scoring for the Blues, with a bullet header in the 54th minute. However, Palmeiras found a way back into the game when Thiago Silva's handball in the box was penalized after multiple checks by VAR.

Raphael Vega made no mistake from the spot for Palmeiras as the game went into extra time. Just as a penalty shootout looked inevitable, the Blues were awarded a penalty of their own for a handball by Palmeiras player Luan.

Kai Havertz coolly dispatched his penalty in the 117th minute to secure the FIFA Club World Cup trophy. Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel reserved special praise for Golden Ball winner Thiago Silva and matchwinner Kai Havertz. The German manager said:

“Well, he (Silva) almost ruined his performances with a handball for the penalty!” Tuchel joked. “He’s a fantastic player, a fantastic guy. He deserves all the credit. That’s what we expect from him. I’m happy that he has this [Golden Ball] trophy. He absolutely deserves it.”

Speaking about Kai Havertz, Tuchel said:

“He's very important for us. You can never bask in these things, live off scoring the winning goal in a huge game. You have to go and do it again and again and again. I’m happy that he stepped up and took responsibility, and with the way he took his penalty. It’s never easy but he was very convincing.”

Chelsea will look to build on Club World Cup momentum

Another club trophy for Tuchel at west London

The Blues have a few crucial fixtures coming up. They return to Premier League action with a game against Crystal Palace next weekend before taking on Lille in the UEFA Champions League.

The Blues will also have another trophy to compete for this month when they take on Liverpool side in the Carabao Cup final on February 27.

Thomas Tuchel will be very happy to win the FIFA Club World Cup and become world champions with Chelsea. However, he will be equally determined to perform well in the coming days and carry forward the momentum.

With Kai Havertz showing glimpses of his immense potential and Romelu Lukaku finally getting on the scoresheet once again, it will be interesting to see how they line-up in their upcoming fixtures.