The FIFA Club World Cup, better known as the expanded Intercontinental Cup, concluded with Manchester United lifting the trophy after defeating Liga de Quito 1-0. Wayne Rooney settled the final with a well-taken strike in the 73rd minute. I had an early morning flight so I wasn't able to watch the match, but from reading the press reports it appeared that Man U were the better side despite the expulsion of Vidic. The win completes a Premier League, European Champions League, and Club World Cup treble for the English side. Liga haven't had a great season in Ecuador, but they will always be remembered for being the first Ecuadorian side to win a Copa Libertadores, and Edgardo Bauza will leave the club with that achievement. At least the fans are still proud of their team, and why not?
In the third-place match, Gamba Osaka defeated Pachuca 1-0 on a goal by Masato Yamaguchi. The match statistics said that Pachuca dominated possession and shots on goal, yet failed to threaten the Gamba net. "Profligate finishing" indeed.
This tournament marks the end of an era of Intercontinental Cups and FIFA Club World Cups played in Japan (we'll ignore the bloated 2000 Club World Cup in Brazil). Next year the tournament moves to Dubai, which promises to be warmer, drier, and even more expensive than Japan.
Hello there,
I am Peter Robert Casey and I am a basketball columnist. I have initiated an idea to create a sports blogroll where bloggers from all sports disciplines could participate. All you need to do is to add my blog link to your blog and i'll do the same. That way, we could have a mutual partnership and we could refer visitors to each other's blog.
Please let me know if you would be interested.
Your's in Hoops,
Peter Robert Casey
http://www.peterrobertcasey.com
Posted by: Peter Robert Casey | December 22, 2008 at 12:45 AM