Atlanta, June 17 (IANS) Chelsea star Pedro Neto reflected on his goalscoring display in 2-0 FIFA Club World Cup win over Los Angeles FC and credited Nicolas Jackson’s pass for the opening goal.

Jackson playing a perfectly weighted ball into Neto, who cut to his left and finished with aplomb past Hugo Lloris for the opener. The goal set Chelsea on their way to a 2-0 victory in their tournament opener against LAFC in Atlanta.

“I feel very good. I have had some adaptations in the team. I’ve played in a lot of positions. It’s my first year with the club, so there is a lot of adaptation there as well. I’m really happy with the way I’m performing at the moment. I hope to continue in this way,” Neto, who has completed his move to Chelsea from Wolves last year, told FIFA.

On his goal, Neto added, “I have to be thankful to Nico because of the pass. He was joking with me a little bit because I didn’t thank him (during my celebration), so I will say thank you very much now, Nico!”

Neto travelled to the USA for Club World Cup after an impressive end to the 2024/25 season. His performances helped Chelsea secure a fourth-place Premier League finish.

“We have to be confident. We finished the season really well. With the players we have and the squad we have, we have to be confident in ourselves and take that through all the games we play,” he said.

Chelsea coach Enzo Maresca, meanwhile, believes Neto can go to another level.

“Pedro is a very good person,” he said. “He’s very professional. He works hard every day. He played a very good game. I think (in the future) he is going to be even better in terms of numbers, goals and assists. But we are very happy with Pedro,” said Maresca.

–IANS

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