Liverpool win maiden maiden FIFA Club World Cup

ليفربول بطلا لكأس العالم للأندية للمرة الأولى في تاريخه

An extra time goal by Roberto Fermino helped Liverpool to register a fighting 1-0 win over Flamengo and annex their maiden FIFA Club World Cup at the Khalifa International Stadium here yesterday.

The striker, who failed to score once in each half of normal time, made amends with a strike in the ninth minute of extra time. The Brazilian, who was rested in the first half of the semi-final against Monterrey and came as a substitute and scored the match winner, thus netted his second goal of the tournament.

The win over the Copa Libertadores winner thus helped the UEFA Champions League winners to avenge the 3-0 loss they had suffered 38 years back in the Intercontinental Championship in Tokyo and helped quieten the Samba drum with Liverpool fans dancing to their own beat when the final whistle was blown.

Liverpool started the proceedings on a brisk pace but faded and then Flamengo grew in confidence but without creating a golden chance in the first half.

Coach Juergen Klopp made a few changes from the team which took field in the semi-final with Dutch defender Virgil Van Dijk, who sat out on account of illness returning to the heart of the defence to provide the stability that The Reds were missing in the last match.

Flamengo were having a few problems down the right side with Liverpool outnumbering Rafinha and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain taking up some lovely.

But the Brazilians, cheered by some 15,000 loyal fans who made all the noise and created a samba like atmosphere inside the stadium had far and few chances to exercise their vocal chords with Flamengo’s passing at times was pedestrian in front of an organised Liverpool side.

In the first five minutes of the match Liverpool had three clear look at the goal but without success.

Forty seconds in and Liverpool almost scored with Firmino’s shot going over the bar from close range with the Flamengo defence caught napping. Thereafter Jordan Henderson had a another good chance for Liverpool and then it was Naby Keita who shot wide.

Flamengo settled down after that early scare with neat build up on the left but end up with Giorgian de Arrascaeta blasting over the bar with the teams going into the half time break at 1-0.

Liverpool started the second half on an impressive note but the Roberto Firmino’s shot hit the woodwork.

Two minutes into the second half the Brazilian latched on to a pass from Jordan Henderson, sending a Flamengo defender wrong footed with a deft lob over his head, but his elegant drive ended in the inside of the left-hand post.

Two minutes later there was another positive start to the half by Liverpool. Trent Alexander-Arnold, not allowed to scamper forward as much as he usually does in the first half, got beyond the Flamengo defence on the right and pulls back to Mohamed Salah but the Egyptian’s first-time shot flashed past the post.

Liverpool sustained the pressure and won a free-kick on the edge of their area, moving the ball quickly upfield as they look to catch Flamengo on the wrong foot, however goalkeeper Alves raced off his line blocking the ball before a quick juggle to get his hands off it as he slides out of his box

Nine minutes into the second session, Alisson stopped his side going behind with a smart stop from Gabriel Barbosa’s drive that was nestling in the far corner.

After a frantic start to the second half the pace the game settled down a touch thereafter with Flamengo patiently passing the ball around the halfway, trying to move Liverpool around before picking a gap. Flamengo controlled the game thereafter but they could not make it count.

In the 73rd minute Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain – a man who has a fair share of serious injuries and missed most of last season – landed awkwardly on the turf after jumping for a high ball and had to be substituted.
With 10 minutes to go Alexander-Arnold had a low shot saved by Alves.

With five minutes to go Liverpool had another chance. Naby Keita skipped into space on the right, cutting back to Salah. The Egyptian shot but saw his effort blocked.

A minute later-on Alves leapt high to his left and pushed Henderson’s curling effort over the bar. The corner following that marvellous save was met by Virgil van Dijk, who heads down into the turf and over the bar.

And when it seemed that the match was going into extra time there were some anxious moments in injury time of regulation time. Liverpool were awarded a penalty when Rafinha tackled Mane as he was about to shoot but the Qatari referee Abdulrahman Al Jassim after taking help of VAR overruled his decision and also rescinded the yellow card for Rafinha, taking the match into the 30-minute extra time.

Liverpool were the dormant team in extra time with Flamengo managing the occasional attacks, of one such move Filipe Luis burst down the left and crossed to Barbosa but his header across was weak and found Henderson.

Liverpool celebrated the escape with a goal as Jordan Henderson sliced open the Flamengo defence with Sadio Mane collecting the ball and looking inside to see Firmino and the Brazilian twisted and turned around Alves, while keeping his composure to slot in much to the roar of the 45,416 fans which witnessed the high voltage drama.

After taking the lead, Klopp brought in a fresh pair of legs with goal scorer Firmino making the way with Divock Origi.

Goaded by a goal Liverpool almost made it 2-0 but it was not to be as Diego Alves made a brilliant save of Salah deflecting his bending drive for a flag kick.

Thereafter Liverpool sustained the pressure while Flamengo could not make much of an impact on the rival goal.

Liverpool’s Salah got two awards, the Golden Ball award and the Alibaba Cloud Award, given to the most outstanding player in the competition.

Flamengo’s forward Bruno Henrique, won the Silver Ball Award, while champions Liverpool collected a cheque of $5m from FIFA President Gianni Infantino in the presence of Qatar Olympic Committee President, H E Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani. Runner-ups Flamengo collected $4m.

Armstrong Vas | The Peninsula

توج فريق ليفربول الإنجليزي للمرة الأولى في تاريخه بلقب بطولة كأس العالم للأندية لكرة القدم في نسختها السادسة عشرة التي استضافتها قطر، بعد فوزه على فلامينجو البرازيلي (1-صفر) في المباراة التي جرت بينهما مساء اليوم على ستاد خليفة الدولي بالدوحة وسط حضور 45416 ألف مشجع.

ويدين ليفربول بالفضل في فوزه إلى مهاجمه البرازيلي روبرتو فيرمينو صاحب هدف المباراة الوحيد في الدقيقة (98) من الوقت الإضافي بعد انتهاء الوقت الأصلي بالتعادل السلبي.

وثأر ليفربول بفوزه اليوم من فلامينجو الذي سبق أن خسر أمامه (صفر-3) في المباراة النهائية التي جمعتهما في نهائي البطولة بمسماها القديم “إنتركونيننتال” عام 1981 .

وأكمل الفريق الإنجليزي بحصد لقب مونديال الأندية ثلاثية تاريخية في عام 2019 بعد التتويج بلقب دوري أبطال أوروبا اثر فوزه على مواطنه توتنهام (2-صفر)، ولقب السوبر الأوروبي بالفوز على مواطنه الأخر تشيلسي بركلات الترجيح (5-4).

وبات ليفربول ثاني فريق إنجليزي يحرز لقب كأس العالم للأندية بعد مانشستر يونايتد الذي حقق اللقب عام 2008 بفوزه على فريق ليجا دي كويتو الإكوادوري (1-صفر)، علما بأن تشيلسي هو الفريق الإنجليزي الذي صعد للنهائي وخسر اللقب عام 2012 أمام كورينثيانز بوليستا البرازيلي (صفر-1).

وبلقب كأس العالم للأندية حصد الفريق الإنجليزي صاحب التاريخ الطويل اللقب الغائب عن خزائنه، حيث حصد في إنجلترا ألقاب بطولة الدوري 18 مرة، وكأس الرابطة 8 مرات، وكأس الاتحاد 7 مرات، وعلى الصعيد الأوروبي ألقاب دوري الأبطال 6 مرات، والدوري الأوروبي 3 مرات، والسوبر الأوروبي 4 مرات.

وكان فريق ليفربول شارك للمرة الأولى في مونديال الأندية بمسماه الجديد عام 2005 ، لكنه خسر المباراة النهائية أمام فريق ساو باولو البرازيلي (صفر-1).

وفي المقابل، أخفق فريق فلامينجو في أن يكون رابع فريق برازيلي يحرز اللقب بعد فرق كورينثيانز بوليستا عامي 2000 و2012 وساو باولو عام 2005، وإنترناسيونال (2006).

كما أخفق الفريق البرازيلي في حصد لقبه الثالث هذا العام بعدما توج بلقب بطولة الدوري البرازيلي، فضلا عن حصوله على لقب كأس ليبرتادوريس أقوى بطولات الأندية في قارة أمريكا الجنوبية.

وبات فلامينجو رابع فريق برازيلي يخسر المباراة النهائية في كأس العالم للأندية بعد فرق فاسكو دا جاما عام (2000) أمام مواطنه كورينثيانز بوليستا بركلات الترجيح (3-4)، وسانتوس عام (2011) أمام برشلونة الإسباني (صفر-4)، وجريميو عام (2014) أمام ريال مدريد الإسباني (صفر-1).