Manchester City v Fluminense: Club World Cup final – live | Club World Cup

59 min: City resolve to cross the ball round Flu’s defence just like the Flu defence likes to cross the ball spherical them. They run into heavy site visitors. Up on the different finish – ultimately – Kennedy will get a run, however then falls. No foul given. The Flu followers are making noise now. Rico Lewis is discovering it exhausting going in the meanwhile.

57 min: Flu play the ball round, and there’s a row when Bernardo offers Melo a bit again.

55 min: Felipe Melo exhibits off his previous magic in smashing into Bernardo. Loves a sort out, the previous boy.

54 min: Sir Richard Woods will get involved: “I totally agree with Russell Young. Last season my team, Bristol Rovers, reached the quarter final of the EFL Trophy. We were in no more than mathematical danger of relegation and in no danger at all of promotion. The quarter final was a home tie against Plymouth Argyle. Both teams put out second string teams and Plymouth won 2-0. I think it’s a shame that the club did not take it more seriously and I still see it as a missed opportunity to win a trophy. After all, it’s been a long time since we won the Watney Cup in 1970, a moment that Gasheads of a certain vintage continue to recall with great fondness.”

53 min: City virtually get a 3rd as there’s chaos from a nook. Fabio has to scramble the ball away.

52 min: Grealish will get one other kick, this time from Ganso. Remember when Ganso was Spurs-bound?

51 min: Andre and Martinelli are being dominated by Rodri in midfield. It’s been a masterclass from the Spaniard to this point. Bernardo is tackled and it’s last-ditch stuff from Flu.

49 min: City video games the place they’re instructed to shoot on sight have to be uncommon events. But that seems to be an enormous a part of the Pep playbook tonight.

47 min: City attempt to get off to a different nice begin. Bernardo Silva heads on objective after an extended shot and Fabio makes a save. Diniz is on the sidelines and he’s attempting to shift his group round. Kennedy will get a primary contact however is robbed by Ake.

46 min: We are again and John Kennedy is on for Flu. Cano is gone. Or is it Keno? It’s Keno.

Nice e-mail from Russell Young, and I’ve to say I agree: “It is a near-constant source of bemusement to me how, to so many supposed football fans/followers, there is basically nothing worthy of winning. Club World Cup? Don’t give a stuff. League Cup? Mickey Mouse trophy. Community Shield? Don’t even start, mate. FA Cup? Well hardly anyone takes it seriously anymore so, no, unless your team wins it in which case it’s just a consolation for not winning the league. Europa League? Would rather not be in it. Conference League? What a joke. Super Cup? You’re having a laugh.

“Even with internationals, it’s a case of “well we’d quite like to get to tournaments, but most qualifiers just aren’t worth playing, we’ll grumble every time the national team meets up and heaven forbid they play a friendly even if it helps them, you know, function as a team”. Some will go to this point and slate gamers for having the temerity of taking their confederation event (AfCON, Asian Cup, Copa America and so forth) severely. Basically the one tournaments value profitable are the league, Champions League, Euro and World Cup. It’s value reminding these those that their views are exactly why so many all over the world roll their eyes at English supporters, and don’t mirror how a lot of the world thinks.”

Those statements at all times seem to be a self-defence mechanism to me.

Half-time: Manchester City 2-0 Fluminense

45+2 min: City fairly completely happy to take a seat on this now. Their supervisor shall be pleased with the management they’ve over their opponents.

45 min: Three minutes are added on, and City are pushing on for a 3rd. Their followers may be heard, although they sound a bit drained and emotional. The Brazilian drums are pounding out fairly a beat.

44 min: The stats present that Rodri has had probably the most possession of any participant. Nino, the centre-back, surges out and it takes a Grealish hack to sluggish a defender making the kind of run made well-known by Clodoaldo.

42 min: Grealish has a dig, and Fabio reaches full-length to save lots of. Flu providing too many scoring probabilities for City.

41 min: Flu nook. What a save from Ederson, from Keno’s header and Cano is offside as he chases the rebound. That’s the closest Flu have come.

39 min: Jack Grealish’s shins will at all times keep in mind Xavier, the Flu full-back. He’s had a few hefty previous whacks at Birmingham’s prime gentle entertainer.

36 min: Flu try some backline bravado however Silva virtually sneaks in. The ball bounces again out, and Cano decides to shoot from 50 yards. He’d should be Fred Karno to drag that one off. The striker is surrounded every time the ball involves him. Where do City get all these further gamers from?

34 min: Luke Jones will get in contact: “I don’t think I’ve ever seen a team that play like Fluminese are in this game. In the back, literally inches in front of their own goal line, they feint and fake and dribble through City’s press and make maniacally dangerous short passes. Then when their midfielders and forwards get the ball, they repeatedly forgo decent forward pass opportunities, never take on a defender, and instead pass it backwards 40 yards. It’s like they see soccer purely as high-wire exhibition art.”

Charles Antaki: “I watched a bit of it until I couldn’t take any more of Robbie Savage and whoever else was talking – they weren’t actually commenting on the game, at least not in any informative way, and as for insight, well, pop down to your local saloon bar – and Fluminense’s passing around at the back was breathtaking. Then City do something, and it’s all over now really, ins’t it?”

Joe Pearson is again: “Me again! According to the Opta rankings, this match is between the best club in the world and the 101st best club in the world. For more context, Fluminense is 4 spots BEHIND Celtic and 4 spots ABOVE Luton. Not sure what that says, but I think it says something”

31 min: Flu appear to love the “diag” ball. Pep wouldn’t a lot get pleasure from these. The ball is within the air for a lot too lengthy. Up within the gods, Gianni Infantino is sat subsequent to a neighborhood dignitary who’s his cellphone. There’s a drinks break on anyway. It is scorching on the market.

29 min: The velocity of passing within the final third is what separates these groups. It could be a disgrace to see a non-contest. There’s some audible City chants, although only a few of them sound to have a Heaton Norris accent. It’s a world membership now, after all.

Goal! Manchester City 2-0 Fluminense (Foden, 27)

25 min: Matthew Carpenter-Arevalo will get in contact: “For those in Europe, this competition may seem like a waste of time. For those of us in South America, this is the highest level competition we can win. For that reason, we take it very seriously.

23 min: Jack Grealish just took a heavy whack that even his leg-girth couldn’t withstand. City have the ball, while not doing too much. They are being patient, though perhaps so are Fluminense.

22 min: Kyle Walker has a dig from distance in the style Ake did early doors. Flu’s players are sat deep, waiting to begin one of their passing moves.

20 min: Fluminense are the absolute opposite of “get it launched”. These are the kind of cultural variations that may make a world occasion work.

19 min: Joe Pearson mentioned this, not me: “Are we sure the crowd is filled with actual living, breathing humans? Other than the small section of Fluminense fans, they are absolutely motionless.”

17 min: So, a let-off for City. Fluminense are nonetheless enjoying out, taking so many dangers. Ange-ball ain’t acquired nothing on these lads.

Penalty to Fluminense? No, offside.

14 min: It shall be 14 years subsequent 12 months since Felipe Melo’s purple card gifted the Netherlands a win over Brazil within the 2010 World Cup. City are pushing up on the good man, it needs to be mentioned.

12 min: Flu choosing it up right here (Flu is the nickname in Brazil, I’m not simply being lazy. Flamengo is Fla). Keno has a dig from distance however can’t hold his shot down.

11 min: Alvarez’s end, by the way in which, was him chesting the ball in. True intuition.

9 min: Flu on the assault, to a lot chanting. They enable themselves time to settle. A primary passing transfer. Pep have to be purring. It’s old-style Brazilian stuff. Though it’s stopped by an offside.

8 min: Felipe Melo tries to play the ball out, and at one level he’s on his personal touchline, with Kyle Walker surging on to press.

6 min: Almost one other as Fluminense get caught attempting to play the ball out. They’re being mauled.

5 min: City are doing to Fluminense what they’ve carried out to so many. Their passing is brisk and the urgent is fervent. What can Diniz’s group provide.

3 min: Alvarez gained a World Cup a 12 months to the day for Argentina. He’s already gained the Champions League and Copa Libertadores. And a Copa America. He’s 23 and gained the lot. Not a nasty stand-in for Haaland.

Goal! Manchester City 1-0 Fluminense (Alvarez, 1)

And away we go in Jeddah!

Poland’s Szymon Marciniak is tonight’s bald-headed referee. Haaland sits within the stands, and so does Kevin De Bruyne. Most groups would miss such gamers. Will City?

Kyle Walker is doing a little motivational chat within the tunnel. Very a lot within the Martin Johnson mode, because the White Stripes beat rings out and the gamers take the sector.

Those within the stadium in Jeddah are being handled to fairly the lights present. Mind, the hosts have just a few quid.

No Haaland, however he did win a gong right now:

Pep Guardiola has gained this competitors thrice, with Barcelona in 2009 and 2011 and Bayern in 2013. In 2009, his Barca group beat Estudiantes (striped shirt, black panties) and in 2011 they beat Santos. At Bayern, after inheriting Jupp Heynckes’ Treble winners, it was Morocco’s Raja Casablanca who had been the overwhelmed finalists.

The final South American group to win this trophy had been Corinthians in 2012, once they beat Rafa Benitez’s Chelsea. Chelsea had been the final English winners, beating Palmeiras in 2021.

No Haaland: Three modifications for Manchester City, with Ruben Dias in for Manuel Akanji, who’s stood down with Matheus Nunes and Mateo Kovacic. Rico Lewis and Julian Alvarez are available.

No modifications for the Fluminense group that beat Al Ahly. The veterans get their spin, as does Andre, although John Kennedy shall be a sub.

The groups

Earlier, through PA Media.

Egyptian facet Al Ahly noticed off a fightback from Urawa Red Diamonds to say third place within the Club World Cup with a 4-2 victory in Jeddah.

The African champions had been pegged again by their Asian counterparts as a Jose Kante volley and Alexander Scholz penalty cancelled out early targets from Yasser Ibrahim and Percy Tau. Al Ahly reclaimed the lead on the hour when Yoshio Koizumi deflected an Ali Maaloul shot into his personal internet. Maaloul then missed a penalty however wrapped up the victory with a nice free-kick in stoppage time.

Some background on Fluminense, too.

Andre is a much-wanted midfielder. City and Liverpool have each been linked.

Flu’s coach can be coach of Brazil.

Of course, this event is about way over a soccer trophy.

The World Club Cup and its predecessor, the Intercontinental Cup, have hardly ever garnered obsessive consideration in Europe: the informal fan in England is extra more likely to keep in mind the horrified response in 2000, when Manchester United pulled out of the FA Cup to compete, than the opponents Liverpool and Chelsea performed when profitable two of the previous 5 finals. Europe has dominated whereas paying perfunctory respects. But the event’s standing is about to rocket: going by way of the motions over 4 summer season weeks will hardly be an choice.

Players’ unions slammed the enlargement; gamers themselves, given no say and burdened with near-impossible workloads, are recognized to view it dimly. Their employers really feel in a different way, a reality proven in an effusive response from the European Club Association that hailed “fantastic news for club football in general”.

There’s a willpower inside the City camp.

Nick Ames is considered one of our group in Saudi Arabia.

Perhaps that can all movement again at King Abdullah Sports City. “They play a typical Brazilian style from the 70s, 80s, early 90s,” Guardiola enthused of an attack-minded Fluminense, who entertained drastically in beating Al-Ahly 2-0 on Monday however regarded as porous as they did fluent. “They play with the ball, lots of quick passes, the mixtures are actually good. We may have to pay attention to how a lot we run behind the ball and settle for we play a group who play in a means we’ve by no means confronted earlier than.

“I love how [Brazilian teams] associate between each other and respect a lot of time with the ball. I’ve huge respect for the essence of Brazil: slow and quick, how they handle both rhythms. I saw it for many years.”

Preamble