World Soccer - UK (2021-03)

WORLD SERVICE

30,000 Corinthians fans travelled to

Yokohama a year later. It is a victory

that carries huge prestige.

Palmeiras had never won the global

crown, although they claim that victory

in an international tournament in1951

counts as one. In reality, local rivals

Santos, Sao Paulo and Corinthians

can all point to victories in the former

Intercontinental Cup or the present

Club World Cup.

Local bragging rights then were an

extra motivation for the Brazilians, but

the semi-finals have often represented a

difficult obstacle. In 2019, Flamengo

struggled in the semi-finals against Asian

champions Al Hilal from Saudi Arabia. It

took the Rio club 78 minutes to take the

lead before running out 3-1 winners.

Against Tigres, Palmeiras were happy

to sit back and absorb the pressure, a

strategy that had worked wonderfully

well in the Copa Libertadores final

against Santos. Tigres’ coach Ricardo

Ferretti cleverly switched his wingers

Javier Aquino and Luis Quinones, who,

alongside the overlapping right-back

Luis Rodriguez, ensured Mexican

dominance. In the 54th minute, Tigres’

goal arrived from a Gignac penalty. The

Frenchman’s presence, energy and

experience galvanized Tigres.

The contrast with his counterpart Luiz

Adriano at the other end of the pitch

could not have been bigger. The former

Shakhtar Donetsk forward was largely

peripheral throughout and when a major

chance finally did arrive in the second

half, he failed to connect with the ball.

Following in the footsteps of River Plate,

Atletico Nacional, Atletico Mineiro and

Internacional, Palmeiras became the

fifth Copa Libertadores champions to be

eliminated at the semi-final stage.

The result was a stinging indictment

of Palmeiras and Brazil’s congested

calendar. Palmeiras’ reactive style is

typical of a football culture that is

increasingly obsolete. There was not

even consolation to be found in the

third-place play-off, with African

champions Al Ahly beating the Sao

Paulo giants on penalties. The Brazilian

side were punished for some dreadful

spot-kicks: a bizarre, stuttering run-up

and weak strike by Rony was easily

saved by Mohamed El Shenawy, then

Adriano was at fault again, missing the

target completely. On Palmeiras’ fifth

and final penalty, the Egyptian keeper

kept out captain Felipe Melo’s effort to

give his side the bronze medal, matching

their previous best result in the 2006

Club World Cup.

Going into the tournament, Al Ahly’s

coach Pitso Mosimane had evoked the

heroics of Leicester City’s title-winning

season to inspire his players, but his

team were no match for Bayern Munich.

The African champions played with the

organisation and intent that had secured

a1-0 quarter-final victory over local

club and host representative Al Duhail.

In contrast, Bayern Munich’s attitude,

hunger and finesse were overwhelming.

Two goals from Robert Lewandowski,

the world’s best striker, ensured

Munich’s passage to the final.

Against Tigres, Bayern were without

Thomas Muller, who tested positive for

COVID-19 on the morning of the final,

a reminder of the health restrictions

that the tournament was staged amid.

Stadiums were reduced to 30 per cent

capacity and fans were handed face

shields at the turnstiles.

Leroy Sane deputized for Muller in an

attacking line-up, but the first chance of

the final fell to Gignac. The striker’s

unconventional personal and

professional story came to symbolise

Tigres’ superb campaign in Doha. The

Frenchman is an atypical centre-forward

who has blossomed in the Mexican

league, roaming around the field and

spraying passes everywhere. He guided

his team past Asian champions Ulsan

Hyundai in the quarter-finals with a

brace. Tigres, however, is more than just

Gignac. The club boasts sterling

credentials: a savvy coach, a formidable

record in the CONCACAF Champions

League and a huge fanbase.

The final against Bayern was the

cherry on the cake. The Germans were

not at their brilliant best, but exhibited

enough quality and enterprise to record

a1-0 win and cement Europe’s

dominance in the competition. The

team of coach Hansi Flick follows in the

footsteps of Pep Guardiola’s vintage

Barcelona by completing a unique

sextuple, the fruit of nine months of

relentless excellence.

Bayern’s perpetual movement and sheer class

eventually fatigued their opponents

Silver Ball winner...Andre-Pierre Gignac scoring

a penalty against Palmeiras in the semi-final

Third place...

Al Ahly coach

Pitso Mosimane

Disallowed...Joshua
Kimmich thought
he’d opened the
scoring in the final