Havertz admits he was nervous to take penalty in CWC final
Kai Havertz has revealed he is Chelsea’s third-choice penalty taker but admitted he was ‘nervous’ before scoring from the spot to help his side win the Club World Cup final.
The German attacking midfielder stepped up in the 118th minute against Palmeiras in Abu Dhabi on Saturday night, strolling up to the ball and nervelessly sending goalkeeper Weverton the wrong way to score what proved the winning goal.
And Havertz told Channel 4 after the game that Jorginho and Romelu Lukaku are ahead of him in the pecking order and would have taken it had they been on the pitch, before opening up about his nerves before the penalty.
The German scored a 118th minute penalty to help his side become Club World Cup champions
He said: ‘Amazing. I think after Champions of Europe, this (world champions) sounds better. It’s a great feeling, I think we deserved to be here and win this game. Incredible feeling.’
Havertz scored the winner having also done the same in the Champions League final last year
When asked about whether he was nervous before the spot-kick, he admitted: ‘I was, I have to be honest. It’s a big penalty, a big goal again, it’s just crazy. It was good that I kept my nerves and I’m very happy.
The Blues lifted the title after beating Palmeiras 2-1 after extra time in Abu Dhabi on Saturday
‘I think I was the third penalty taker, Jorgi (Jorginho) and Rom (Romelu Lukaku) were out, I was the only one on the pitch. The other players gave me their trust. Hakim (Ziyech) asked me, everyone said you do it and I did it.
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‘I don’t know what to say. I dreamed always as a kid of this, it’s just an amazing feeling. I’m thankful for everybody that brought me here, my family, my girlfriend, just a big thanks to them. Both the Champions League final and this are all for them.’
Lukaku had given Chelsea the lead just before the hour mark, heading in emphatically from Callum Hudson-Odoi’s cross, before Raphael Veiga equalised from the spot after Thiago Silva’s handball.
Blues skipper Cesar Azpilicueta then headed against Luan’s hand, leading to another spot-kick being awarded after a VAR check, allowing Havertz to have the final say – just as he did in last year’s Champions League final against Manchester City.