Ziyech Wins FIFA Club World Cup With Chelsea FC

Hakim Ziyech won the FIFA Club World Cup 21/22 today with his English club, Chelsea FC, beating the Brazilian Palmeiras at the Mohammed Bin Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

It took Chelsea until extra time to see Kai Havertz score Chelsea’s winning goal at 117th minute.

The full time ended in a draw 1-1-, with Chelsea’s Romelu Lukaku scoring at the 55th minute while Palmeiras’ Raphael Veiga scored at the 64th minute from a penalty.

A superb center from Chelsea’s Moroccan player, Hakim Ziyech, couldn’t get past Palmeiras’ outstanding defense at the 113th minute. Ziyech pinged in the ball, and Havertz had the ball whipped away from his head just as he seemed destined to nod in.

The action that brought the penalty in favor of Chelsea originated from the ensuing corner kick kicked by Ziyech.

Chelsea advanced to the final after defeating Al-Hilal of Saudi Arabia, despite a lackluster performance, thanks to Romelu Lukaku’s lucky goal.

The FIFA Club World Cup is the third trophy that Ziyech has achieved with his Londonian team after the Champions League and the European Super Cup.

With today’s title, Ziyech becomes the third Moroccan to have won the FIFA Club World Cup, after Munir el Haddadi and Achraf Hakimi who won the title respectively with F.C Barcelona and Real Madrid in 2015 and 2018.

A day prior to the semi-final with Al-Hilal, Hakim Ziyech announced his “final decision” not to play for Morocco’s national team.

“I feel sad for them,” Ziyech said, emphasizing that he understands the situation is bad for his fans.

“Obviously, I understand them but I will not return to the national team. It is all clear for me how things are going and I am focusing on what I am doing,” he said.

The football star also expressed regret for Halilhodzic’s choice not to call him, adding that respects the decision as long as “others are in line with it.”

Ziyech’s decision caused uproar among Moroccan football fans, with some calling the Moroccan Royal Football Federation to take action against Morocco’s Bosnian coach Vahid Halilhodzic.

Former Moroccan international player Mehdi Benattia came out in defense of Ziyech, saying that “Morocco without Ziyech is like Argentina without Messi.”