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
https://arab.news/zsdva
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
Saudi league will join world’s top 3, FIFA chief tells Asharq Al-Awsat
- Gianni Infantino says domestic competition boasts global flavor with some of the world’s leading players
- Women’s football in the Kingdom also poised for further growth
DOHA: Gianni Infantino, president of the International Federation of Association Football, said that Saudi Arabia has become a major hub on the global football stage.
He praised the dynamic developments in recent years, which have led to a significant international presence and a domestic league with a global flavor, featuring some of the world’s top football stars, most notably Cristiano Ronaldo.
The league is on track to become one of the top three in the world, he added.
In an exclusive interview with Asharq Al-Awsat, a sister publication of Arab News, the FIFA president said that the Saudi national team, following its stunning upset against Argentina in the 2022 World Cup, is still capable of repeating such feats, potentially against Spain in the 2026 World Cup.
He said that Saudi football has made remarkable progress, not only at the senior national team level but also across youth categories. He also pointed out that women’s football in the Kingdom is poised for further growth, thanks to the increasing attention it has received from football authorities in recent years.
Infantino also expressed personal happiness about Saudi Arabia hosting the 2034 World Cup, describing the Kingdom as a welcoming country with a rich culture, delicious cuisine, and a remarkable people — all of which, he said, will contribute to the success of the major football event.
