Kashima Antlers wins Asian Champions League Qualify for FIFA Club World Cup in UAE
REPORT: ASGHAR ALI MUBARAK
The Japan’s Kashima Antlers wins the Asian Champions League for the first time in their history with a 2-0 aggregate victory after their return leg against Persepolis ended in a goalless draw in Tehran Iran.The result also qualifies them to compete in the FIFA Club World Cup in the UAE in December 2018
The Japanese side had won the first leg 2-0 in Kashima last week with Brazilian duo Leo Silva and Serginho on target.
That left Persepolis, also chasing their first continental title, with plenty to do in Tehran and although they created several chances in front of a 100,000-strong crowd at the Azadi Stadium, Go Oiwa’s men held on to their two-goal advantage.
Kashima’s triumph was the second successive year a Japanese team had won the title, following Urawa Red Diamonds’ victory last year. Before that Gamba Osaka had claimed the crown in 2008.
Persepolis, known for their mean defence, had no option but to attack on Saturday, but Kashima goalkeeper Kwoun Sun-tae put in a virtuoso performance. Kwoun, for whom this was a third Asian crown following two with South Korea’s Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, was at the top of his game, keeping the Iranians, especially Ali Alipour and Bashar Resan, at bay.Seven minutes before half-time Resan muscled his way past two defenders close to the Kashima goal, but failed to beat Kwoun at his near post.Persepolis coach Branko Ivankovic sent on Mohsen Rabiekhah and Ehsan Alvanzadeh in a desperate attempt to break the deadlock but to no avail.The FIFA Club World Cup 8 matches over 11 thrilling days bring world-class football action to Al Ain’s Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium and Abu Dhabi’s Zayed Sports City Stadium.
FIFA Club World Cup is an international men’s association football competition organized by the Federation International Football Association (FIFA), the sport’s global governing body. The tournament officially assigns the world title. The competition was first contested in 2000 as the FIFA Club World Championship. It was not held between 2001 and 2004 due to a combination of factors, most importantly the collapse of FIFA’s marketing partner International Sport and Leisure. Since 2005, the competition has been held every year, and has been hosted by Brazil, Japan, the United Arab Emirates and Morocco. The FIFA Club World Cup’s prestige is perceived quite differently in different parts of the football world; it struggles to attract interest in most of Europe, and its object of heated debate in Brazil and Argentina.
The first FIFA Club World Championship took place in Brazil in 2000. It ran in parallel with the Intercontinental Cup (also known as European/South American Cup), a competition between the winners of the European Champions’ Cup (UEFA) and the Copa Liber tadores (CONMEBOL), first contested in 1960. In 2005, after the Intercontinental Cup’s last edition, that competition was merged with the Club World Cup’s pilot edition and renamed the “FIFA Club World Championship”. In 2006, the tournament took its current name. As required by the regulations, a representative from FIFA presents the winner of the World Cup with the FIFA Club World Cup trophy and with a FIFA World Champions certificate.
The current format of the tournament involves seven teams competing for the title at venues within the host nation over a period of about two weeks; the winners of that year’s AFC Champions League(Asia), CAF Champions League (Africa), CONCACAF Champions League (North America), Copa Libertadores (South America), OFC Champions League (Oceania) and UEFA Champions League (Europe), along with the host nation’s national champions, participate in a straight knock-out tournament. The host nation’s national champions dispute a play-off against the Oceania champions, from which the winner joins the champions of Asia, Africa and North America at the quarter-finals. The quarter-final winners go on to face the European and South American champions, who enter at the semi-final stage, for a place in the final.
The current champions are Spain’s Real Madrid, who defeated Brazil’s Grêmio 1–0 in the final of the 2017 edition, to win a shared record third title in the competition and to become the first successful defending champions in the tournament’s history. In taking the honors’ at UAE 2017, Real Madrid became the first side in the history of the FIFA Club World Cup to retain the trophy. After arriving in the United Arab Emirates as clear favourites, the holders lived up to expectations.
They did not have things all their own way, however, and had to fight hard to overcome a combative Al Jazira side in their opening match in the semi-finals. Gareth Bale’s late strike completed a hard-fought 2-1 win for the Spanish side, which saved their best football for the final against Brazil’s Gremio.
While Cristiano Ronaldo’s solitary goal was all they had to show for their efforts in the tournament’s showpiece match, Los Blancos dominated from start to finish against the South American champions, who were perhaps fatigued following their extra-time semi-final win over Pachuca.
The Mexican outfit completed the podium at this the 14th Club World Cup, thanks to an emphatic 4-1 defeat of Al Jazira in the match for third place.
Guided by experienced Dutch coach Henk ten Cate and inspired by their Brazilian striker Romarinho – who won the tournament in 2012 with Corinthians – and their keeper and Captain Ali Khaseif, Al Jazira were the surprise packages of UAE 2017.
The reigning Emirati champions opened up with a 1-0 win over Auckland City and saw off Asian champions Urawa Red Diamonds by the same scoreline in the quarters.
They then pushed Real Madrid all the way in the semis and finished the tournament in a creditable fourth place.
The Video Assistant Referee (VAR) was used at the FIFA Club World Cup UAE 2017 to support referees with “match-changing” decisions. As well as trialling virtual offside line technologies and referee communication systems, FIFA also tested a centralised VAR solution for the first time. The technology worked seamlessly.
“We are very happy with the use of VAR during this Club World Cup here in the UAE”, said FIFA’s Deputy Secretary General Zvonimir Boban after the final. “VAR has again performed an important role in ensuring a fair outcome in all eight games of our competition. The spirit of VAR is minimum interference for maximum benefit, which was further demonstrated during this tournament, and we have seen once again how video assistance has definitely helped referees to make the correct decisions.
“Our refereeing department is doing a great job and it is clear that we are on the right track. I would like to stress that whoever is open to this hugely important step can only be positive and embrace the protection VAR provides for football.”
Final standings
1. Real Madrid
2. Gremio
3. Pachuca
4. Al Jazira
5. Urawa Reds Diamonds
6. Wydad Athletic Club
7. Auckland City
Venues
Zayed Sports City Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium, Al Ain
Goals scored: 18 (an average of 2.2 per match)
Top goal scorers: Romarinho: 2 (one assist), Mauricio Antonio: 2, Cristiano Ronaldo: 2
Awards:
adidas Golden Ball: Luka Modric (Real Madrid)
adidas Silver Ball: Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid)
adidas Bronze Ball: Jonathan Urretaviscaya (Pachuca)
FIFA Fair Play Award: Real Madrid
