João Pedro doesn't celebrate goals for Chelsea, saying former team `gave everything to me'

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — João Pedro had just scored on a 20-yard curling shot in his first start for Chelsea, putting his team ahead in a Club World Cup semifinal less than a week after signing with the London power. He took two steps to start to celebrate and then he stopped.

He clasped his hands.

He muted his joy.

He would not exhibit excessive exuberance against the team that developed him from a boy into a professional.

“When I was young, I didn't have nothing. They gave everything to me,” he said after his two goals lifted Chelsea over Fluminense 2-0 on Tuesday and into the Club World Cup final against Real Madrid or Paris Saint-Germain.

João Pedro scored in the 18th and 56th minutes, both with his right foot, the first from just outside the penalty area and the second when he cut inside about 15 yards from goal.

At 23, he is with a major club after starting in the Fluminense academy when he was 10 or 11, moving to Watford at 18 and then to Brighton when he was 21. He debuted with Brazil's national team in November 2023, but like many of his nation's top stars could make far greater money outside his country.

“It doesn’t make sense for Brazil to try to compete with European clubs in terms of finances,” Fluminense coach Renato Gaúcho said through a translator. “Brazilian clubs trade players and sell them to Europe so they can survive, and that’s been true even since I was a player.”

Top English clubs benefit from the Premier League's worldwide popularity and broadcast rights fees, and they join with their Spanish, German, Italian and French counterparts in the financial success of deep Champions League runs.

João Pedro joined Chelsea from Brighton on July 2, signing with a six-time English titlist and two-time Champions League winner, a club one victory from its second world championship. In the glow of his success, he wasn't going to forget where he came from.

“They showed me to the world," he said. "If I’m here, it’s because they believed in me, so I’m very grateful.”

Chelsea signed him last Wednesday after he scored 19 goals in 58 Premier League matches for Brighton, and he debuted two days later as a 54th-minute substitute in the 2-1 quarterfinal victory over Palmeiras.

Roberto De Zerbi, Brighton's former manager and now Marseille's coach, had recommended João Pedro to Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca.

“The reason why we brought him is because this season we faced many teams with low block(s) and his quality is very good against this kind of team," Maresca said.

Chelsea striker Liam Delap was suspended for yellow-card accumulation, and Maresca inserted João Pedro. While most of Chelsea's roster has been training and playing almost continuously since last summer, João Pedro had not appeared in a game since April 19, a benefit in MetLife Stadium's stifling heat and humidity.

“He was on holiday,” Maresca said, “so probably is a bit more fresh compared to the rest.”

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Fluminense goalkeeper Fabio (1) can't stop a goal by Chelsea's João Pedro during the Club World Cup semifinal soccer match between Fluminense and Chelsea in East Rutherford, N.J., Tuesday, July 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Chelsea's Joao Pedro reacts after scoring his side's opening goal during the Club World Cup semifinal soccer match between Fluminense and Chelsea in East Rutherford, N.J., Tuesday, July 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

Chelsea's Joao Pedro leaves the field after the first half during the Club World Cup semifinal soccer match between Fluminense and Chelsea in East Rutherford, N.J., Tuesday, July 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

Chelsea's Joao Pedro, left, and Chelsea's Enzo Fernandez celebrate after Pedro scored a goal against Fluminense during the second half of a Club World Cup semifinal soccer match in East Rutherford, N.J., Tuesday, July 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Chelsea's Joao Pedro (20) is congratulated by Enzo Fernandez after scoring his side's 2nd goal during the Club World Cup semifinal soccer match between Fluminense and Chelsea in East Rutherford, N.J., Tuesday, July 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)

A Ukrainian drone strike killed one person and wounded three others in the Russian city of Voronezh, local officials said Sunday.

A young woman died overnight in a hospital intensive care unit after debris from a drone fell on a house during the attack on Saturday, regional Gov. Alexander Gusev said on Telegram.

Three other people were wounded and more than 10 apartment buildings, private houses and a high school were damaged, he said, adding that air defenses shot down 17 drones over Voronezh. The city is home to just over 1 million people and lies some 250 kilometers (155 miles) from the Ukrainian border.

The attack came the day after Russia bombarded Ukraine with hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles overnight into Friday, killing at least four people in the capital Kyiv, according to Ukrainian officials.

For only the second time in the nearly four-year war, Russia used a powerful new hypersonic missile that struck western Ukraine in a clear warning to Kyiv and NATO.

The intense barrage and the launch of the nuclear-capable Oreshnik missile followed reports of major progress in talks between Ukraine and its allies on how to defend the country from further aggression by Moscow if a U.S.-led peace deal is struck.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Saturday in his nightly address that Ukrainian negotiators “continue to communicate with the American side.”

Chief negotiator Rustem Umerov was in contact with U.S. partners Saturday, he said.

Separately, Ukraine’s General Staff said Russia targeted Ukraine with 154 drones overnight into Sunday and 125 were shot down.

Follow the AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

This photo provided by the Ukrainian Security Service on Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, shows a fragment believed to be a part of a Russian Oreshnik intermediate range hypersonic ballistic missile that hit the Lviv region. (Ukrainian Security Service via AP)

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, second left, listens to British Defense Secretary John Healey during their meeting in Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Danylo Antoniuk)