The locals got their wish. Their very own superstar delivered the goods with a goal from his heart to proclaim Barcelona as FIFA Club World Cup Champions of the World . The truth of the matter was that he, proclaimed World footballer of the year the following day, and he alone (well maybe not...remember the title of this piece) was the catalyst for Barcelona winning the trophy. An uninspiring display against Atlante was brought to life by his introduction and in the final he stood out for his intelligent use of the ball during the game and then elevated himself to immortal status. Normally you would describe this as head and shoulders better than the rest. Not Lionel Messi, he has to go one better. Head, shoulders and chest better than the rest. The day itself was firstly notable for the absence of the Congo fans, as for the first time since their introduction to the tournament I could hear myself think. Their non stop cacophony of noise and their lead dancer entertained us all, (but I do prefer it when the noise relates to the action on the pitch). Estudiantes fans began the day in good voice and baited their opponents outside the ground as they had many more fans in evidence as they warmed up for the evening's match. They could be heard throughout the 3rd place play off game, which Pohang Steelers won on penalties. We waited for Barcelona fans to make themselves heard during the final but it was evident that Estudiantes were the ones whose passionate fans had made the trip in more numbers. It wasn't till the end as Barcelona piled on the pressure that chants of Barza from the locals resounded around the stadium. Finally the Estudiantes fans were silenced as with just 1 minute and 45 seconds of normal time left Pedro equalised. From then on their chants got stronger as they knew what was going to happen. Chants of Messi were far louder than that of Barcelona as the locals' dreams were brought to life. As I left the stadium a local banging a drum chanted Messi's name......whilst wearing a Real Madrid shirt! I am sure the local will be back next year probably wearing a Messi shirt whilst watching Real Madrid. © Ross Clegg & Soccerphile.com Tags Soccer News World Club Cup

At long last the FIFA Club World Cup tournament begins. 3,500 fans from Argentina have arrived and 4,000 plain clothed police boost the crowd to 22,000 for the first Semi Final. After a promising opening when Estudiantes dominated possession the game had become lifeless, until in first half injury time a free kick is pumped into the box, the Estudiantes forward clearly (to me) was in an offside position and tries his best to get a touch on the ball. The ball goes in the net and a goal is given. The Pohang Steelers coach stated that he did not see a referee on the pitch. I saw one. But he didn't appear to be watching the game. Worse was to follow as three sendings off followed. All of which appeared harsh. The Korean side played with determination for the final 13 minutes with just 8 men and tried to make a game of it even with the tournament's leading scorer, Denilson in goal. So 2-1 Estudiantes and one half of the FIFA jigsaw is complete. Remember FIFA prefers South America v Europe in these competitions. Wednesday. Barcelona are in town and suddenly everyone is interested in the football. There was a constant stream of helicopters overhead in the morning as dignitaries arrived. There was no doubting who the U.A.E locals were supporting as during the 5th place place off game the video screen panned to the Barcelona players in the stand. Each time a loud cheer went up. The stadium was silenced early on as Atlante took the lead. Both teams were putting together passing moves creating intricate patterns the likes of which I hadn't seen since that mornings visit to the Sheikh Zayed mosque. Barcelona scored and the locals were clearly relieved. Game on. Messi was given superstar status before he even entered the field of play as the fans chanted for him to enter the fray. Within a minute he had delivered 2-1 Barcelona. From then it it was easy for Barcelona. After the match people were now looking forward to Saturday's final and asking for tickets. After disappointing crowds (only 4,200 for the earlier game that day) throughout the tournament at least the final will be sold out. © Ross Clegg & Soccerphile.com Tags Soccer News World Club Cup

Whilst at Al Nasr, I found out about a football exhibition taking place in Abu Dhabi - "Footie." It would be a get together of all corners of the football world, with competitions, freestyle shows, auctions and....... lots more beside. What's more it would be the first even of its kind in the Middle East. Michael was considering having his club represented at the event, but worries over whether their display would be the best meant that they decided not to bother. It was interesting to see the mentality behind the decision. The Emiratis clearly were interested in doing this only if they were going to be the best. Their decision was probably the right one as I was possibly the only visitor paying that day. Bernard Lama was the only one of a host of football stars who were due to attend. Lauren Robert was due to make an appearance but was apparently last seen shopping in Dubai. Heading to the stadium for the first quarter final light rain started to fall. The crowd for the game between Pohang Steelers and Mazembe cowered under whatever shelter they could find as the rain grew heavier during the match. The roof (remember what there is of it) was put to good effect as the evening's entertainment was provided by the Mazembe supporters in the main stand, the brass band and dancer were regularly displayed on the large screen and their presence gave the match a better atmosphere. Song 2 was blasted out as goals were scored. It was noticeable that this didn't happen at the first game. was this because the wrong team scored? Pohang won but wasted numerous good chances whilst Mazembe failed to mark Denilson, the one player they knew who would cause them problems. The next day saw the action switch to Zayed Sports City, a larger stadium further out of town. Free buses have been laid on to take fans from the centre of Abu Dhabi to the stadiums. I commandeered one from the Abu Dhabi mall and had it to myself until we were virtually at the venue. There was certainly enough buses to cope with a 50,000 crowd. Obviously no one told them how many tickets had been sold. The crowd was a mere 7,000, and once again the entertainment was provided by the Mazembe supporters who, given the top tier to themselves, kept the noise going all game. Atlante dominated possession and it was no surprise when they scored. Auckland did create a couple of good chances on the break but Atante were too strong for them. Auckland's reward - they get to play Mazembe for the 5th place in the tournament. © Ross Clegg & Soccerphile.com Tags Soccer News World Club Cup

I mentioned earlier that I would try and find my way to any local games taking place, my quest started the moment I arrived at my hotel where I asked for their help in checking the fixtures. I believed there were two games taking place in Dubai, and that the following morning there would be camel racing at 7a.m. They confirmed the first game as I thought but told me the second game was actually due to take place here in Abu Dhabi at the Zayed Sports stadium, one of the venues for this competition. As for the camel racing they knew nothing about it. I was clearly up against it as I was sure that FIFA would not allow a stadium being used by them to host a local game. So now I knew I could not rely on the hotel for information. Whilst collecting my tickets I spotted someone in an Al Ahli shirt, knowing that he must be from Dubai, I asked him about the fixtures the next day. Immediately he phoned a friend and confirmed that Al Nasr would play at 16.45 and Al Wasl would play at 20.00, in Dubai, at grounds just 10 minutes apart. Unfortunately the camel racing wasn't on in Dubai but it was in Abu Dhabi. So my second day in the Emirates and I was off to Dubai, the Al Nasr website is one of only three that I had found with English content and kindly provided a location map for the ground. I spent the afternoon in Bastikaya before heading in the direction of the stadium. Meeting yet more roadworks on major roads meant navigation had become impossible. Jumping in a taxi I was soon at the ground. I phoned my friend, who had said he might accompany me to the games, but he was still at work. Judging by the crowd, so was everyone else. It was hard to imagine that this was a stadium where recently crowd trouble had seen supporters banned. This was only a cup game and I was assured that there is more of a crowd, firstly for evening games and for the actual league games. Without my friend I wasn't sure how I would get to Al Wasl later so I asked around and worked out that the ground was 10 minutes away, by car. Al Nasr was the club that Don Revie managed after laying the foundations as U.A.E. national manager, where he had an unsuccessful reign but correctly predicted that they would appear in a World Cup finals in the next 15 years. They made their debut at Italia 1990, losing to Colombia, West Germany and Yugoslavia. Al Nasr had lost their previous game 5-1 and their website announced that they were standing by their German manager, Frank Pagelsdorf, but their assistant coach and fitness coach would be leaving. Al Nasr strolled into a 3-0 half time lead, as a lethargic Emirates defence watched. The second half saw the Emirates wake up, but a quick two goal burst from Al Nasr saw them run out 5-2 winners to restore some much needed pride. Whilst watching the game I met Michael Rodosthenous, the Deputy Executive Director of Al Nasr. A former W.B.A. player who found his way here via Cambridge United and Adelaide Raiders. He explained the circumstances surrounding the crowd trouble. Al Nasr were hosting city rivals Al Ahli. Al Ahli were having a torrid time and were told they must not lose this game. Their was a lot of hype surrounding the game and Al Ahli were outplayed but winning 2-1 with five minutes to go. Al Nasr equalised, but the a dubious offside flag was raised. Spectators vented their anger and a sandal hit the linesman. Michael showed me behind the scenes before driving me to the game at Al Wasl. We decided to take the scenic route as he showed me Dubai by night, passing the Emirates Towers and the tallest building in the world the Burj Dubai. Dropping me off I could hear there was a little more atmosphere, as expected for the evening kick off. The game itself was a close affair with away side Al Jazirah winning 1-0. After the game a taxi back to Dubai saw me catch the bus back to Abu Dhabi. Now the camel racing was apparently due to take place 45km away from Abu Dhabi at 7a.m. As it was now 1a.m and I couldn't confirm where the track was or how to get there I decided to give it a miss. © Ross Clegg & Soccerphile.com Tags Soccer News World Club Cup

Manchester United have won the 2008 FIFA Club World Cup, beating LDU Quito 1-0 in front of 68,682 fans at Yokohama International Stadium. Wayne Rooney scored the only goal of the game in the 73rd minute and he was later awarded the Golden Ball award for being named the Player Of The Tournament. United deserved their win having turned in a dominant performance against the Ecuadorian underdogs, although the reigning European champions were forced to work hard after defender Nemanja Vidic saw red for an elbow to the face of LDU striker Claudio Bieler just four minutes into the second half. Before that United had enjoyed the best of the action, with the outstanding Wayne Rooney forcing LDU's veteran keeper Jose Francisco Cevallos into an early save with a stinging volley. Rooney missed an even better chance just before the break when clean through on goal, as his lob-on-the-run landed on top of the net rather than in it. It wasn't until after United had been reduced to ten men that LDU began to pose a threat, with tricky midfielder Alejandro Manjos driving his team forward. He saw one long-range effort pushed away by Edwin van der Sar in the 65th minute, with the Dutch goalkeeper proving that he has lost none of his dexterity despite his advancing years. With seventeen minutes remaining United finally broke the deadlock, as for once Cristiano Ronaldo eschewed the showboating antics in favour of playing an easy ball, and Wayne Rooney made no mistake as he stroked an accurate finish from Ronaldo's pass into the bottom corner. A frustrated Alejandro Manjos was then denied again from long-range, as Edwin van der Sar somehow managed to push his right-foot thunderbolt over the crossbar. With that Manchester United saw victory within their grasp, as the English giants capped a memorable year by adding the world crown to the English and European titles they won last season. United's victory was a triumph for coach Sir Alex Ferguson, who brushed aside suggestions from a dismissive British media as he added a world title to his impressive swag of trophies - which also includes the Intercontinental Cup won by United in Tokyo back in 1999. Copyright © Michael Tuckerman & Soccerphile.com J.League News Tags Bet with Bet 365 World Soccer News Soccer betting tips Soccer Books & DVDs Tags Soccer News soccer football J-League K-League Betting

Manchester United eased through to the FIFA Club World Cup final with an entertaining 5-3 win over J. League side Gamba Osaka in front of 67,618 fans at Yokohama International Stadium. The English giants looked to be cruising when first half headers from Nemanja Vidic and Cristiano Ronaldo gave them a commanding two goal lead at the break. Gamba pulled a goal back through striker Masato Yamazaki in the 74th minute, and that proved to be the precursor for a crazy spell of action. United substitute Wayne Rooney scored with what was practically his first touch of the ball, before fellow substitute Darren Fletcher then put the game beyond doubt with a 78th minute header. Just a minute later Rooney scored his second and United's fifth, as a shell-shocked Gamba defence capitulated on the global stage. To Gamba's credit they scored twice more over the closing stages, with the inspirational Yasuhito Endo slotting home from the spot after Gary Neville was adjudged to have handled inside the area. Midfielder Hideo Hashimoto then popped up to score a rare goal and add some respectability to the scoreline - and United's Dutch goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar was nonplussed to have been beaten three times in this wildly fluctuating clash. Several of the United players complained of jet-lag after the match, with French international Patrice Evra revealing that he had only slept for a total of two hours in the build-up to the match. Cristiano Ronaldo was another to suffer from fatigue, although he was quick to praise the Osakans, whom he labelled a "very good football team." The newly-crowned World Player Of The Year was tight-lipped about the prospects of a potential move to Real Madrid, instead preferring to focus on the task at hand. To a man the United squad have all highlighted their desire to become the first British club to lift the FIFA Club World Cup in its current form, with Sir Alex Ferguson's team clearly meaning business when they take on Ecuador's LDU Quito in the Club World Cup final on December 21 in Yokohama. That goal is now within reach, with just one more game standing in United's way of being crowned world champions. Copyright © Michael Tuckerman & Soccerphile.com

Adelaide United have ended the FIFA Club World Cup on a high after recording a gritty 1-0 win over Egyptian giants Al-Ahly in the playoff for 5/6 at Yokohama International Stadium. The Australian outfit dominated the opening twenty-five minutes and deservedly opened the scoring through Brazilian striker Cristiano, who set off on a virtuoso run seven minutes in before unleashing an unstoppable strike that flashed passed Amir Abdelhamid and into the top corner. Adelaide almost doubled their lead through a Sasa Ognenovski header three minutes later, before Cristiano missed a gilt-edged opportunity to double his personal tally on the quarter-hour mark. Al-Ahly gradually began to assert themselves as the first half wore on but they had little to show for their efforts, and coach Manuel Jose sprung a major surprise as he benched playmaker Mohamed Aboutrika at half-time. Despite the change Al-Ahly remained lacklustre in the second half, and Mohamed Barakat wasted their best chance when he forced a flying save from Eugene Galekovic with eight minutes remaining. Adelaide coach Aurelio Vidmar was full of praise for his team, and he hoped Adelaide's win would help raise the profile of the fledgling A-League. "By finishing fifth and with our experience in the Asian Champions League, it has really lifted the profile of the game in Australia and it hopefully gives a lot of confidence to the other A-League clubs that they can do well in the Asian Champions League to get to this point," said Vidmar. "It has been a tremendous ride which hasn't been easy but we've learnt a lot from playing these games and it certainly puts the cub and the game on the map back home. When you win games at this level it lifts people's eyebrows and awareness of what the football can and will be like in the future." In contrast Al-Ahly coach Manuel Jose was scathing of Egypt's domestic media, claiming that reporters had failed to heed his warnings that the Cairo-based club were not the global force that some in the Egyptian media believed they were. Al-Ahly have now fallen twice to Australian clubs, after they lost the 5/6 playoff to Sydney FC in Tokyo at the 2005 FIFA Club World Cup. Copyright © Michael Tuckerman & Soccerphile.com J.League News Tags Bet with Bet 365 World Soccer News Soccer betting tips Soccer Books & DVDs Tags Soccer News soccer football J-League K-League Betting

Ecuador's LDU Quito booked a place in the final of the FIFA Club World Cup with a comfortable 2-0 win over Mexican outfit Pachuca in driving rain at the National Stadium in Tokyo. A calamitous piece of defending just four minutes in set LDU on their way, as a dreadful mix-up at the back saw an attempted clearance fall to unmarked Claudio Bieler, and the Argentine had an easy task of steering the ball beyond Miguel Calero in the Pachuca goal. That goal set the tone for the match, with Pachuca struggling to come to terms with the wet conditions in the first half. Argentine threats Damian Alvarez and Christian Gimenez looked the likeliest source of a goal for Los Tuzos , but the reigning Copa Libertadores champions from Quito managed to hold Pachuca's star men at bay. Instead it was LDU causing most of the attacking threats, and they doubled their advantage in the twenty-sixth minute after Pachuca defender Julio Manzur handled just outside the penalty area. LDU midfielder Luis Bolanos stepped up to curl an inch-perfect free-kick just over the wall and into the top corner of the goal, with Pachuca keeper Calero unsighted. For the second time in the tournament Pachuca found themselves two goals down at half-time, but unlike their thrilling come-from-behind 4-2 victory over Egyptian giants Al-Ahly in their opening game, this time there was no way back for the Mexicans. They pushed forward in numbers in the second half, but time and again danger man Damian Alvarez and compatriot striker Bruno Marioni failed to force LDU keeper Jose Francisco Cevallos into a save. Despite dominating possession for the entire ninety minutes Pachuca trudged disconsolately off the field with nothing to show for their efforts, with two defensive errors costing coach Enrique Meza and his team dearly. LDU Quito will now go on to meet the winner of tomorrow's semi-final between Gamba Osaka and Manchester United, with both matches set to take place at the 70,000-capacity Yokohama International Stadium. Adelaide United will take on Al-Ahly in the 5/6 playoff in the curtain-raiser to Manchester United's Club World Cup debut, with Al-Ahly coach Manuel Jose under pressure from Egypt's demanding media to claim a result from that game. Copyright © Michael Tuckerman & Soccerphile.com J.League News Tags Bet with Bet 365 World Soccer News Soccer betting tips Soccer Books & DVDs Tags Soccer News soccer football J-League K-League Betting

Gamba Osaka will take on Manchester United in a showpiece semi-final at the Club World Cup, after the Osakans saw off Adelaide United 1-0 in front of 38,141 fans at Toyota Stadium . The J. League side did just enough to see off their Australian counterparts, however Adelaide can consider themselves unlucky after Aurelio Vidmar's men turned in a vastly improved performance from the one that saw United thrashed 5-0 by Gamba in the recent two-legged AFC Champions League final. How different things might have been had Adelaide captain Travis Dodd not struck a golden opportunity agonisingly wide after fifteen minutes, after the pacy Dodd had done brilliantly to fashion his chance on the counter-attack. Gamba made Adelaide pay for their profligacy, as the mercurial Yasuhito Endo then started and finished a move in the 23rd minute, with Endo's volley from early substitute Ryuji Bando's intelligent knock-down skidding through the legs of Adelaide's hapless keeper Eugene Galekovic. There was more heart-break for the ubiquitous Dodd when his header came back off the crossbar just before half-time, as the Reds fought desperately for an equaliser. Gamba controlled proceedings in the second half, and Brazilian striker Lucas Severino should have put the match beyond doubt when he fired straight at the legs of Galekovic. Yet the South Australian side refused to surrender, and substitute Robert Younis and captain Dodd both saw efforts go narrowly wide in stoppage time, as Adelaide's evening came to a frustrating end. Gamba talisman Yasuhito Endo claimed that he was impressed by Adelaide's display, stating that the A-League side had displayed their best qualities in the match. That will come as scant consolation to Adelaide United, however, with the A-League side now having lost three times in a row to their J. League counterparts. Copyright © Michael Tuckerman & Soccerphile.com J.League News Tags Bet with Bet 365 World Soccer News Soccer betting tips Soccer Books & DVDs Tags Soccer News soccer football J-League K-League Betting

Mexican club Pachuca have booked a semi-final showdown with Ecuador's LDU Quito in the 2008 Club World Cup, after they conjured a thrilling come-from-behind 4-2 victory to see off Egyptian side Al-Ahly in their quarter-final clash in Tokyo. Al-Ahly raced out to a two-goal lead in front of an enthusiastic crowd at the National Stadium, as an own goal from defender Fausto Pinto and another from Angolan-born striker Flavio just before half-time gave the African giants a commanding lead at the break. Pachuca coach Enrique Meza responded by introducing midfielders Juan Carlo Rojas and Luis Montes in the second half, and the move paid immediate dividends as Montes scored just two minutes after the restart, although his free-kick appeared to take a slight deflection on its way in. In a classic game of two halves Pachuca equalised through an even better set-piece from Argentine midfielder Christian Gimenez, as he blasted a free-kick over the wall and passed the despairing dive of Al-Ahly keeper Abdelhamid Amir with twenty minutes remaining. The Mexicans enjoyed a wealth of possession in this match, but despite dominating the second half they were unable to conjure a winner. Instead Pachuca rode their luck when Al-Ahly playmaker Mohamed Aboutrika went down in the box with eight minutes remaining, but rather than point to the spot Uzbeki referee Ravshan Irmatov opted to brandish a yellow card for simulation. With a small pocked of Pachuca fans getting right behind their team and the chants of " Ole Tuzos! " ringing around the National Stadium, it appeared only a matter of time before Enrique Meza's team took the lead. Al-Ahly had struggled to contain the pace and penetration of Pachuca's wide men all game, and with the Egyptians at sixes and sevens in defence the impressive Damian Alvarez turned the game on its head as he scored Pachuca's third eight minutes into extra time - although there was a hint of fortune as he benefited from two lucky ricochets before blasting home on the volley. Forced to push every man forward in search of an equaliser, Al-Ahly conceded again in the second period of extra-time, as Christian Gimenez scored his second and Pachuca's fourth of the afternoon. Al-Ahly were disconsolate in defeat but Pachuca fully deserved their win, with the Mexicans keeping their heads and displaying some impressive attacking football, despite being two goals down at half-time. Pachuca's win sets up a dream semi-final showdown with South American representatives LDU Quito in Tokyo, and Pachuca will fancy their chances of coming out on top of that all Latin-American clash at the National Stadium. Copyright © Michael Tuckerman & Soccerphile.com J.League News Tags Bet with Bet 365 World Soccer News Soccer betting tips Soccer Books & DVDs Tags Soccer News soccer football J-League K-League Betting