JEDDAH: Manchester City were just too good and a bit lucky for overmatched Fluminense in the Club World Cup final by winning 4-0 and taking a fifth title in 2023 on Friday.
City led after just 40 seconds to make it a match mostly free of tension.
Julián Álvarez followed up fastest to meet a rebound off a post from Nathan Aké’s shot.
An own goal in the 27th by Fluminense captain Nino decided the game long before Phil Foden’s goal in the 72nd, guiding an Álvarez pass into an open net. Álvarez struck again in the 88th.
It gave City a first Club World Cup title and Europe a 16th in 17 editions of FIFA’s competition for continental champions.
City cruised to a second easy win in four balmy days in Saudi Arabia even without injured superstars Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne. They also missed City’s semifinals win over Urawa Red Diamonds on Tuesday.
Their expected absences could help explain the empty seats among a crowd of 52,601 at King Abdullah Sports City, the Jeddah stadium which is planned to be used at the 2034 World Cup.
Victory made Pep Guardiola the first coach to win the Club World Cup with three different teams. He led Barcelona to titles in 2009 and 2011, then Bayern Munich in 2013 with a team that won the Champions League under outgoing coach Jupp Heynckes.
Guardiola celebrated calmly by walking across to console Fluminense coach Fernando Diniz with a handshake and arm on his shoulder.
At the same time, a melee broke out between players in the Fluminense half of the field.
Fluminense started with six players born in the 1980s, and bristled with perceived disrespect when told on Thursday of British media drawing attention to the age of their veteran team. City’s oldest player in the starting lineup, 33-year-old captain Kyle Walker, was born in May 1990.
Fluminense’s most celebrated player, Marcelo, exited after one hour to warm applause and a handshake on the touchline with City substitute Mateo Kovačić, his former teammate at Real Madrid.
One of Marcelo’s first touches in the game was an unwise long pass from defense that let Aké advance in space to shoot.
Álvarez was alone in the goalmouth to stoop and score with his chest. The Argentina forward’s first action had been to take a sturdy shove in the back from 40-year-old Felipe Melo’s aerial challenge.
The bounce of the ball was unkind again to Fluminense when Nino slid in to block Foden’s pass across the goalmouth, and the ball looped beyond goalkeeper Fabio’s reach. The attack came from a piercing change of pace in Rodri’s pass to Foden.
Man City cruise past Fluminense in Club World Cup final to lift fifth trophy in 2023
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Man City cruise past Fluminense in Club World Cup final to lift fifth trophy in 2023
- It gave City a first Club World Cup title and Europe a 16th in 17 editions of FIFA’s competition for continental champions
- Victory made Pep Guardiola the first coach to win the Club World Cup with three different teams
EA Team of the Year celebrates top football players
RIYADH: To celebrate the best football players of the year, EA Sports has launched Team of the Year, allowing fans to create and vote for their dream team.
Saudi Arabia’s football talent is Salem Al-Dawsari, midfielder for Al-Hilal, who has earned his place as one of TOTY’s nominees, showcasing the region’s growing impact in the world of football.
Portuguese soccer player Cristiano Ronaldo, who is currently playing for Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League, has also been nominated for TOTY.
Following the Italian and Spanish Super Cup matches, which were held in Riyadh and Jeddah, this year’s TOTY card lineup includes players from Italian teams AC Milan, Inter Milan, Atalanta, and Juventus, and Spanish teams Real Madrid and FC Barcelona.
TOTY has cards for each position — goalkeepers, defenders, midfielders, and attackers — allowing fans to create the ultimate fantasy men’s or women’s football team.
The EA FC 25 TOTY vote will be closed on Jan. 12, 2025.
For more information on Team of the Year, visit www.ea.com/games/ea-sports-fc/fc-25/toty
Al-Hilal back on top as Al-Ittihad stumble
- The victory, in the first round of games as the league restarts after a month’s break, means that the champions are ahead of their Jeddah rivals
RIYADH: Al-Hilal won 5-0 win at Al-Orobah on Saturday to go top of the Saudi Pro League above Al-Ittihad, who were held to a surprise 1-1 draw at Al-Feiha.
The victory, in the first round of games as the league restarts after a month’s break, means that the champions are ahead of their Jeddah rivals on goal difference after 14 games of the season.
There was little doubt as to the outcome of the game once Ruben Neves, who returned to the Al-Hilal starting 11 after a lengthy injury lay-off, put the Riyadh giants ahead from the penalty spot after just 16 minutes.
It was one-way traffic but the Blues had to wait until three minutes after the restart to extend their lead against the newly promoted team.
Central defender Ali Al-Bulaihi has come under fire for a number of mistakes at the back but the Saudi Arabian international made no mistake as he headed home from a left-sided Sergej Milinkovic-Savic cross.
Al-Hilal kept coming. Renan Lodi made it three midway through the second half and then Marcos Leonardo added two more in quick succession to cap a perfect display for coach Jorge Jesus.
It got even better shortly after when Al-Ittihad were held to a 1-1 draw by the struggling Al-Feiha in a dramatic game.
It has been a frustrating afternoon for the Tigers who arrived looking for a 10th successive league victory, but they had only themselves to blame as they missed two penalties in the second half — the first from Karim Benzema and the second by Houssem Aouar.
They were left to rue those wasted opportunities in the first minute of injury time, as Fashion Sakala struck to put Al-Feiha in sight of what would have been only their second win of the season.
The celebrations did not last long however as just two minutes later, Fawaz Al-Sqoor equalised to earn Al-Ittihad a point that may have been disappointing on the night but could end up being crucial.
There was also a surprise defeat for Al-Qadsia who would have moved to within six points of the top had they beaten Al-Taawoun. Instead, however, they crashed to a 3-0 home defeat.
Al-Nassr stay third after their 3-1 win over Al-Okhdood while Al-Ahli are fifth after a 3-2 win over Al-Shabab, their fifth successive league victory.
We will ‘do our best’ for Barcelona’s Saudi fans, says Raphinha ahead of Spanish Super Cup start in Jeddah
- Barcelona face Athletic Club in Wednesday’s first semifinal, with winners tackling either Real Madrid or Mallorca in the final at King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah
JEDDAH: Raphinha says Barcelona are determined to repay local fans for their support by winning the Supercopa de Espana in Jeddah.
La Liga runners-up Barcelona and Copa del Rey winners Athletic Club will contest the first Supercopa semifinal on Wednesday at King Abdullah Sports City, with kickoff at 10 p.m. local time.
The winners will face either La Liga champions Real Madrid or Copa del Rey finalists Mallorca in Sunday’s final at the same stadium.
Barcelona have an enormous fanbase in Saudi Arabia, a country with a thriving football culture that has been the hosts of the Supercopa de Espana since 2020.
The Catalans are sure to enjoy the majority of the support in Jeddah on Wednesday evening and Raphinha wants to ensure their fans are treated to a spectacle.
Raphinha, 28, said: “I would like to thank them for the love. We know how difficult it is for fans to be able to go to Barcelona and watch one of our games there, so to be able to come here, play in a semifinal and (possibly) a final is great, it’s exciting. What we can do is appreciate the love and do our best to try and win two matches.”
Raphinha arrives in Jeddah as one of Barcelona’s standout players this season, scoring 17 goals and creating 10 assists in 25 matches in all competitions.
The team, however, enter the Supercopa in mixed form. Following a blistering start to the season, Barcelona have lost three of their last seven matches, including consecutive defeats in La Liga.
Barca’s pedigree in the Supercopa is unrivalled, though, having won a record 14 trophies. They last won the competition in Riyadh in 2023, and Raphinha believes success in Jeddah this week can provide a vital boost for the rest of the season.
“A title gives confidence to any team,” the Brazilian forward said. “We have to be ready to fight for everything. We have the opportunity to win the first title of the year. It will give us a lot of confidence.”
Barcelona manager Hansi Flick echoed Raphinha’s comments by insisting his players are raring to go and are fully focused on achieving more Supercopa success in Saudi Arabia.
Flick said: “I can feel with the team everyone is ready for this tournament. The semifinal against Athletic is a tough match and we focus on that and not think about the days after that, only focus on this match.
“Of course, when you win titles, it’s very good for the club, very good for the team, for every player and also for us coaches, because we all work hard and train hard.”
If Barcelona are to add to their 14 Supercopas, they will need to get past extremely tough opposition, starting with semifinal opponents Athletic Club.
The Catalans edged the Basque club 2-1 in their most recent meeting at the start of the Spanish Liga season, although Athletic enter the tie with the better overall form, going unbeaten in their last 15 matches in all competitions and winning 11.
Athletic have also won their last two Supercopa matches against Barca, claiming a 3-2 victory after extra time in the 2021 final, and a comprehensive 5-1 aggregate win in 2015 before the format was expanded to four teams.
Athletic captain Oscar De Marcos is aware of the task against Barcelona, but insists they are ready for the challenge.
“We’re looking forward to being in another semifinal,” he said. “We know we’re facing a very tough opponent, but whenever you’re close to a title you have the hope of being able to win it. We need a great game to be able to win it.”
Athletic also have stellar Supercopa experience in the dugout. Manager Ernesto Valverde has been in charge for two of Athletic’s three Supercopa triumphs, while he is familiar with the tournament in Saudi having led Barcelona in the inaugural four-team tournament in 2020.
“We are excited about the Supercopa,” the Spanish coach said. “Our intention is to make the most of our chances. We are not favorites from the start, but we have to play like it. We will give everything to win it because we have travelled here for a reason.”
On the fans in Saudi Arabia, Valverde added: “There are more Barcelona fans than our own. That’s for sure. There will be a good atmosphere and we hope people can enjoy a good match. I know it well because it was my last match with Barcelona.”
The Supercopa de Espana is being staged in Saudi Arabia as part of a long-term partnership with the Royal Spanish Football Federation, which will keep the competition in the Kingdom until 2029.
Rajkovic, Benzema star as Al-Ittihad dump Al-Hilal out of King Cup
- Thriller goes to penalties after sides finish level
- 120 minutes of football saw the sides end all-square at 2-2
RIYADH: Al-Ittihad defeated Al-Hilal 3-1 in a penalty shootout on Tuesday to move into the semifinal of the King Cup after 120 minutes of action in Riyadh had ended 2-2.
Predrag Rajkovic was the hero for the Jeddah club, saving three of Al-Hilal’s penalty kicks.
The first half was an even affair, although it started badly for Al-Hilal with the Saudi Pro League’s top goalscorer Aleksandar Mitrovic leaving the pitch after 13 minutes with what seemed to be a hamstring injury.
Three minutes later, Al-Hilal almost took the lead but Salem Al-Dawsari’s shot from just inside the penalty area hit the foot of a post.
After 26 minutes, Karim Benzema started asking questions, forcing a good save from Yassine Bounou with a curling shot from outside the area.
The French striker had the ball in the net just before the break, shooting home after Bounou had got a hand to a low shot from N’Golo Kante, but he was ruled offside.
There was still time in the first half for Benzema to shoot tamely at the Moroccan goalkeeper from close range.
The former Real Madrid star finally broke the deadlock just after the hour, just moments after Malcom had hit the post for Al-Hilal. Benzema controlled a right-sided cross from Muhannad Al-Shanqiti and then fired home from close range.
Al-Hilal were back on level terms with 18 minutes remaining. The ball fell to Salem Al-Dawsari just inside the area and the 2022 Asian Player of the Year made no mistake to shoot past Rajkovic.
The game went into extra-time and after 101 minutes Al-Hilal moved ahead for the first time. Moteb Al-Harbi produced a perfect diagonal low cross from the left to find Marcos Leonardo at the far post and the Brazilian did the rest.
However, it did not take long for Benzema to equalize, sweeping the ball high into the net from close range to take the game to penalties.
A dismal effort from Al-Hilal followed from the spot as they scored just once.
Mohamed Kanno took the first, which was saved by Rajkovic, and when Benzema scored, Al-Ittihad were in the driving seat, especially as the Serbian goalkeeper also blocked Leonardo’s attempt.
Fabinho made it 2-0 to The Tigers and after Danilo Pereira scored to make it 3-1, Malcom had to hit the back of the net for the match to stay alive but Rajkovic saved once more.
Al-Ittihad and their traveling fans celebrated as they joined Al-Qadsiah, who defeated Al-Taawoun 3-0 earlier on Tuesday, in the last four. They join Al-Shabab and Al-Raed in the semis.
Inter Milan coach maintains optimism despite Italian Supercup loss
- Simone Inzaghi working to regain ‘focus’ as team look to the future
RIYADH: Inter Milan will focus on boosting morale for future games following defeat in the Italian Supercup, Simone Inzaghi, the club’s manager told Arab News on Monday.
AC Milan secured a 3-2 comeback victory over city rivals Inter Milan at Riyadh’s Alawwal Park on Monday.
Speaking at the post-match press conference, Inzaghi said: “We should work on motivating the players and the fans. Cheering them up and boosting their morale.
“Defeat is a hard feeling I know but we should work on regaining conscience and focus. We wanted to win the title, but it is what it is.”
Prior to the derby, Arab News interviewed devoted AC Milan fans.
Waleed Alahmed said: “Milan is going to win because of their new manager, (Sergio) Conceicao. I think his way of playing is very good and if (winger Rafael) Leao is there, Milan is going to win.”
After just one week at the helm, Conceicao has now earned his first trophy.
The hosting of the 37th Italian Supercup aligns with Saudi Arabia’s Quality of Life program and the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030. It is a part of the country’s plan to continue hosting major global sporting events.
The Ministry of Sports organized the event, which was hosted by the Kingdom for the fifth time.
