Related News
Brilliant Barca reigns supreme
Source: Agencies |
December 19, 2011, Monday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
LIONEL Messi scored two wonder goals as European champion Barcelona thrashed Brazil's Santos 4-0 to win its second Club World Cup in swashbuckling style yesterday.
Argentine wizard Messi put Barcelona ahead in the 17th minute, exquisitely clipping a left-foot shot over goalkeeper Rafael Cabral after a clever ball from Xavi.
Only seven minutes later it was 2-0 when Xavi himself latched on to a pinpoint pass from Dani Alves, beating one defender before smashing the ball home.
Cesc Fabregas hit the post and then stabbed home Barcelona's third on the stroke of halftime as the Spanish giant threatened to run riot in front of a crowd of 68,000 in Yokohama, Japan.
The former Arsenal midfielder came within a whisker of another goal moments after the restart, forcing a magnificent save from Cabral.
Player of the tournament Messi made it 4-0 eight minutes from time, bursting past Cabral at breath-taking speed to slip the ball into the net and complete the rout.
Santos, which lifted its third Libertadores Cup in June almost 50 years after Pele led it to back-to-back titles in 1962 and 1963, had no answer to Barcelona's brilliance.
"It may have looked easy but it certainly wasn't," said Barcelona captain Carles Puyol after his side became the first to win the Club World Cup twice since it became a seven-team FIFA competition.
"The early goals made it easier for us," added Puyol, who dedicated victory to Spain striker David Villa after he broke his leg in Barcelona's 4-0 semifinal win over Qatar's al-Sadd.
"We never doubted ourselves and kept their forwards under control. It was a complete performance."
The quality and speed of Barcelona's play was bewildering at times.
"It's impossible to stop Barcelona," shrugged Brazil's teenage sensation Neymar. "They are the best team in the world with fantastic players.
"But we are the second-best team in the world and for us that is a great reward."
Barcelona won the Club World Cup in 2009, with Messi scoring the winning goal in the 2-1 victory over Argentine Club Estudiantes.
The last time a team from South America won was 2006 when Brazil's Internacional beat Barcelona.
Earlier, al-Sadd beat Kashiwa Reysol of Japan 5-3 in a penalty shootout to take third place.
Mamadou Niang, Kader Keita, Ibrahim Abdulmajed, Hasan al-Haydos and Nadir Belhadj converted their penalties to give the Qatar side victory.
Kashiwa's Ryohei Hayashi missed his attempt in the third round of the shootout and Belhadj sealed the triumph by driving past Kashiwa goalkeeper Takanori Sugeno in the final round.
Argentine wizard Messi put Barcelona ahead in the 17th minute, exquisitely clipping a left-foot shot over goalkeeper Rafael Cabral after a clever ball from Xavi.
Only seven minutes later it was 2-0 when Xavi himself latched on to a pinpoint pass from Dani Alves, beating one defender before smashing the ball home.
Cesc Fabregas hit the post and then stabbed home Barcelona's third on the stroke of halftime as the Spanish giant threatened to run riot in front of a crowd of 68,000 in Yokohama, Japan.
The former Arsenal midfielder came within a whisker of another goal moments after the restart, forcing a magnificent save from Cabral.
Player of the tournament Messi made it 4-0 eight minutes from time, bursting past Cabral at breath-taking speed to slip the ball into the net and complete the rout.
Santos, which lifted its third Libertadores Cup in June almost 50 years after Pele led it to back-to-back titles in 1962 and 1963, had no answer to Barcelona's brilliance.
"It may have looked easy but it certainly wasn't," said Barcelona captain Carles Puyol after his side became the first to win the Club World Cup twice since it became a seven-team FIFA competition.
"The early goals made it easier for us," added Puyol, who dedicated victory to Spain striker David Villa after he broke his leg in Barcelona's 4-0 semifinal win over Qatar's al-Sadd.
"We never doubted ourselves and kept their forwards under control. It was a complete performance."
The quality and speed of Barcelona's play was bewildering at times.
"It's impossible to stop Barcelona," shrugged Brazil's teenage sensation Neymar. "They are the best team in the world with fantastic players.
"But we are the second-best team in the world and for us that is a great reward."
Barcelona won the Club World Cup in 2009, with Messi scoring the winning goal in the 2-1 victory over Argentine Club Estudiantes.
The last time a team from South America won was 2006 when Brazil's Internacional beat Barcelona.
Earlier, al-Sadd beat Kashiwa Reysol of Japan 5-3 in a penalty shootout to take third place.
Mamadou Niang, Kader Keita, Ibrahim Abdulmajed, Hasan al-Haydos and Nadir Belhadj converted their penalties to give the Qatar side victory.
Kashiwa's Ryohei Hayashi missed his attempt in the third round of the shootout and Belhadj sealed the triumph by driving past Kashiwa goalkeeper Takanori Sugeno in the final round.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
