Joao Pedro Breaks Silence on Why He Refused to Celebrate His Maiden Chelsea Strike

João Pedro marked his Chelsea debut with a spectacular strike in the Club World Cup semifinal against Fluminense during his maiden start for the London club. Despite this achievement, the 23-year-old Brazilian forward chose not to celebrate his inaugural goal in a Chelsea shirt.

The attacking sequence began when Pedro intercepted the ball before setting up Pedro Neto with a pass down the flank. Following the Portuguese winger's cross being deflected away, the ball dropped to Pedro beyond the penalty area, and the ex-Brighton striker unleashed a magnificent curled effort into the far corner to put Chelsea ahead in the semifinal clash.

While some Chelsea teammates like Neto stood amazed at the brilliant strike and others rushed to congratulate Pedro, the new arrival simply raised his arms skyward. Rather than celebrating, he was seeking forgiveness from the Fluminense supporters.

Pedro emerged from El Flu's youth system. He made his senior debut with the Rio de Janeiro outfit in early 2019 and spent a complete campaign there, netting 10 times in 37 matches before joining Watford in January 2020.

Destiny played its part as, following productive spells at Watford and subsequently Brighton, Pedro transferred to Chelsea and found himself making his first start against the club where he developed as a youngster.

"No, I don't think so," Pedro responded before the match when questioned about whether he would celebrate scoring against El Flu. "It's not about wanting to crush anyone's aspirations, but I must fulfill my responsibilities. I have to perform my duties. Naturally, I'm deeply thankful for everything Fluminense provided me, but I cannot neglect my professional obligations."

While Fluminense supporters may have felt devastated by the goal, Chelsea fans will be thrilled with what they witnessed from their new forward during his initial appearance in blue, and his strike could propel Enzo Maresca's team into the Club World Cup final.

Pedro continued by adding a second goal in the latter half and again declined to celebrate that strike as well. A classy gesture from a player who appears bound for success in London. He was withdrawn in the 60th minute, preventing him from achieving a debut hat-trick.