Romelu Lukaku strike against Al Hilal earns weary Chelsea Fifa Club World Cup final spot

As expected, Chelsea are Fifa Club World Cup finalists, the tournament front-runners overcoming the crowd favourites in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday night.

A goal from Romelu Lukaku did it, proving enough to outdo Al Hilal as the European champions outlasted their Asian counterparts in front of almost 20,000 at the Mohamed bin Zayed Stadium.

Just like their only other Club World Cup appearance, in 2012, Chelsea will contest the showpiece billed as a battle to determine the best club team on the planet. Back then, the Premier League outfit were beaten by Brazil’s Corinthians. On Saturday, they will face another Sao Paulo side in Palmeiras.

Most probably, they will need to improve on their semi-final performance. Chelsea, without manager Thomas Tuchel in the capital, always just about deserved it, yet Hilal made their loftier opponents work. For their part, the Saudi Arabians left with more than heads held high: they have a third-place match to tackle, against Egypt's Al Ahly on Saturday.

Chelsea's win on Wednesday was sealed not long after the half-hour. Kai Havertz was fortunate to get the better of right-back Mohammed Al Breik on the Hilal byline, and cut back a cross towards Lukaku. While the ball lifted beyond the Belgian, a mix-up in the Saudis' defence allowed the ball to drop invitingly to Lukaku, who side-footed past Abdullah Al Mayouf in the Hilal goal.

The strike snapped a five-match drought for the summer signing. In the process, it took his tally since rejoining Chelsea from Inter Milan to nine. How he required a boost.

By that stage, his side were well in the ascendancy. Although Hilal burst from the blocks — recent signing Odion Ighalo scuff wide his first-minute shot — Chelsea settled into their rhythm soon