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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Sport
Sam Tabuteau

Chelsea: Joao Pedro ready to break striker curse as Blues' £60m summer signing opens account on full debut

Brace: Joao Pedro enjoyed a dream full Chelsea debut - (Chelsea FC via Getty Images)

It took Joao Pedro no more than an hour to prove that he has what it takes to break Chelsea's striker curse as he bagged a brace on his first start for the club to send the Blues through to the Club World Cup final.

Chelsea's latest shiny new toy glistened on debut in the sweltering Philadelphia air during the Blues' 2-1 win over Palmeiras, and he repeated the trick on Tuesday night against former club Fluminense, sending Enzo Maresca's men on their way to a comfortable win with a sumptuous curling effort after 18 minutes.

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