And here come City….champions of the world, Pep Guardiola leading them up. Scott Carson, of course, gets his medal. And Kyle Walker goes last to receive a hug from Khaldoon and the trophy from Gianni. And up it goes.
Rodri wins the player of the tournament and seems to be walking OK and smiling. The medal ceremony is very very long. They’re doing the third-place winners first. And now Fluminense go through…Gianni working overtime.
Up go City’s players to celebrate with Gianni Infantino and Khaldoon Al-Mubarak. Kaka, no less, brings the trophy out.
And here’s Nick Ames’ report from Jeddah.
Phil Foden speaks: “It was an unbelievable match. Fair play to them, I love the way they play with short passes, they didn’t make it easy for us. But the lads showed not only quality showed heart and determination, we’re not used to the heat. I’m delighted with the outcome. This is so important for the club. I’m delighted. It is massive for the club.”
It’s a weekend of Saudi sport – better get used to this – and the boxing is where it’s at tomorrow.
It ends with some aggro, scenes we don’t want to see as Kyle Walker takes exception to what ended up being some roughhouse tactics from the Brazilian team.
Full-time: Manchester City 4-0 Fluminense
No added time, no need. Joy Division rings out. Manchester City are world champions and have won five trophies in a single year. All hail Pep’s men.
Updated
Goal! Manchester City 4-0 Fluminense (Alvarez, 88)
Alvarez gets the ball on the edge of the box, sends Andre the wrong way and wallop. What a player, and who needs Haaland? City are closing on a record win in this match. Pep’s Barca won 4-0 against Santos.
Updated
86 min: The seconds tick down until City’s latest completion of a dream. Next stop: Venus and Ursa Minor. Pep has been clad in suit and tie today, going full Sean Dyche for the big occasion.
83 min: More City subs: Bobb and Nunes have replace Foden and Ake. At least one Norwegian made it to the field.
82 min: Nigel Moore has a point to make: “In the interest of all the ripped off fans who like nothing better than local derbies I think it’s time for someone to submit a plan for Local Super Leagues and sod everything else. Besides anything else it would be climate friendly!”
The “wer’re not really here” songs have started from the York, Macc and Lincoln away veterans. They’ll never forget the pie barms they ate and the ales they sunk.
80 min: The TV coverage in the UK has lapsed into Robbie Savage comparing Pep to Ferguson and Clough. He seems to suggest that four PLs in a row moves Pep to their level. There is an argument Pep has been granted riches at each club but then have many other managers and they don’t win trophies like Pep has.
78 min: Kennedy goes on a fine run, skips past a couple and fires a decent shot that Ederson saves well. That’s one for the scouts, who will know all about Kennedy.
76 min: The weird thing is that City becomes champions of Planet Earth and yet Rodri’s knee will make just as many headlines. Work to do, Gianni, son.
75 min: City make a couple of subs, including that of Rodri, with Stones off too. Gvardiol is on, as is Akanji.
Rodri cannot go on!
He collapses to the floor, just as City try to get the game back underway. He at least walks off, and shakes hands with the ref as he does so.
Updated
Goal! Manchester City 3-0 Fluminense (Foden, 70)
The ball bounces around, and eventually Alvarez seizes on the ball, pings it across and Foden slides in. Champions of the world!
Updated
68 min: Erling Haaland looks on, rather morosely, and well he might as Rodri looks to have hurt himself. He looks in serious pain. The physio is testing his knee, and Alexsander smashed into him. Rodri grabbed his knee immediately. There’s panic but all of a sudden Rodri looks OK to continue. One to watch.
66 min: Jack gets in touch: “I agree with both you and Russell. Many fans act in a generally miserable manner day to day, but I think self defense is the reason. You can’t fail if you don’t try is the mantra I reckon. So managers purposefully put out low quality teams to lose and say they’re focusing on league position. And fans accept it. But if they were to go full strength and fail, they’d have to admit trying and failing, which many fans won’t abide for some reason.”
65 min: Oof, Flu get closer. Lima takes on Stones and Kennedy almost wriggles through. City are back in numbers. They always have numbers.
64 min: A Manc song is heard at last, and it’s for John Stones, who has clattered into Nino.
62 min: As expected, Rico Lewis departs and on comes Mateo Kovacic.
61 min: Manchester City fans in full voice. But those voices aren’t singing of not being really there, of 6-1 derby wins or doing the Poznan. Fans have gone out there, no doubt. But we are hearing different voices from the Fifadome.
Updated
59 min: City decide to pass the ball around Flu’s defence like the Flu defence likes to pass the ball round them. They run into heavy traffic. Up at the other end – at last – Kennedy gets a run, but then falls. No foul given. The Flu fans are making noise now. Rico Lewis is finding it hard going at the moment.
57 min: Flu play the ball around, and there’s a row when Bernardo gives Melo a bit back.
55 min: Felipe Melo shows off his old magic in smashing into Bernardo. Loves a tackle, the old boy.
54 min: Sir Richard Woods gets in contact: “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 almost get a third as there’s chaos from a corner. Fabio has to scramble the ball away.
52 min: Grealish gets another 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 so far. Bernardo is tackled and it’s last-ditch stuff from Flu.
49 min: City games where they are told to shoot on sight must be rare occasions. But that appears to be a big part of the Pep playbook tonight.
47 min: City try to get off to another great start. Bernardo Silva heads on goal after a long shot and Fabio makes a save. Diniz is on the sidelines and he’s trying to shift his team around. Kennedy gets a first touch but is robbed by Ake.
Updated
46 min: We are back and John Kennedy is on for Flu. Cano is gone. Or is it Keno? It’s Keno.
#MCIxFLU | 2-0 | ⏰Intervalo
— Fluminense F.C. (@FluminenseFC) December 22, 2023
➡️ John Kennedy
⬅ Keno
Transmissão em áudio na #FluTV >> https://t.co/6kt1rTSmOG
Nice email from Russell Young, and I have 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 so far and slate players for having the temerity of taking their confederation tournament (AfCON, Asian Cup, Copa America etc) seriously. Basically the only tournaments worth winning are the league, Champions League, Euro and World Cup. It’s worth reminding these people that their views are precisely why so many around the world roll their eyes at English supporters, and do not reflect how most of the world thinks.”
Those statements always seem like a self-defence mechanism to me.
Half-time: Manchester City 2-0 Fluminense
City are halfway to conquering the world. They’ve been comfortable, and given Flu little to work with, and while both goals carried an edge of fortune, they were the result of dominance that was exerted from the very opening seconds.
45+2 min: City quite happy to sit on this now. Their manager will be happy with the control they have over their opponents.
45 min: Three minutes are added on, and City are pushing on for a third. Their fans can be heard, though they sound a little tired and emotional. The Brazilian drums are pounding out quite a beat.
44 min: The stats show that Rodri has had the most possession of any player. Nino, the centre-back, surges out and it takes a Grealish hack to slow a defender making the type of run made famous by Clodoaldo.
42 min: Grealish has a dig, and Fabio reaches full-length to save. Flu offering too many scoring chances for City.
41 min: Flu corner. 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 always remember Xavier, the Flu full-back. He’s had a couple of hefty old whacks at Birmingham’s top light entertainer.
36 min: Flu attempt some backline bravado but Silva almost sneaks in. The ball bounces back out, and Cano decides to shoot from 50 yards. He’d need to be Fred Karno to pull that one off. The striker is surrounded whenever the ball comes to him. Where do City get all these extra players from?
34 min: Luke Jones gets in touch: “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 back: “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”
Updated
31 min: Flu seem to like the “diag” ball. Pep would not much enjoy those. The ball is in the air for far too long. Up in the gods, Gianni Infantino is sat next to a local dignitary who is looking at his phone. There’s a drinks break on anyway. It is hot out there.
29 min: The speed of passing in the final third is what separates these teams. It would be a shame to see a non-contest. There’s some audible City chants, though very few of them sound to have a Heaton Norris accent. It’s a global club now, of course.
Goal! Manchester City 2-0 Fluminense (Foden, 27)
Alvarez and Silva both have attempts that are blocked. Flu’s experienced defence is creating something of a wall…but then Foden skips into gear, from Rodri’s sliderule, and then his shot comes off Nino and in. Too easy? Flu have been a little unlucky with both goals.
Updated
25 min: Matthew Carpenter-Arevalo gets in touch: “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 type of cultural differences that can make a global event work.
19 min: Joe Pearson said 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 still playing out, taking so many risks. Ange-ball ain’t got nothing on these lads.
Penalty to Fluminense? No, offside.
Dias steps out and Ederson hauls down Cano. A lifeline? No, it’s not a penalty as the attacker was offside. The decision was given quickly…way faster than PL VAR. Maybe this is the future?
Updated
14 min: It will be 14 years next year since Felipe Melo’s red card gifted the Netherlands a win over Brazil in the 2010 World Cup. City are pushing up on the great man, it has to be said.
12 min: Flu picking it up here (Flu is the nickname in Brazil, I’m not just being lazy. Flamengo is Fla). Keno has a dig from distance but can’t keep his shot down.
11 min: Alvarez’s finish, by the way, was him chesting the ball in. True instinct.
9 min: Flu on the attack, to much chanting. They allow themselves time to settle. A first passing move. Pep must 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 point he is on his own touchline, with Kyle Walker surging on to press.
6 min: Almost another as Fluminense get caught trying to play the ball out. They’re being mauled.
5 min: City are doing to Fluminense what they have done to so many. Their passing is brisk and the pressing is fervent. What can Diniz’s team offer.
3 min: Alvarez won a World Cup a year to the day for Argentina. He’s already won the Champions League and Copa Libertadores. And a Copa America. He’s 23 and won the lot. Not a bad stand-in for Haaland.
Goal! Manchester City 1-0 Fluminense (Alvarez, 1)
A goal in 40 seconds. Nathan Ake shoots from distance, asking Fabio to make a fine save, and the ball bounces out to Alvarez to tap home. Job done already?
And away we go in Jeddah!
1 min: Fluminense kick off….
Poland’s Szymon Marciniak is tonight’s bald-headed referee. Haaland sits in the stands, and so does Kevin De Bruyne. Most teams would miss such players. Will City?
Kyle Walker is doing some motivational chat in the tunnel. Very much in the Martin Johnson mode, as the White Stripes beat rings out and the players take the field.
Those in the stadium in Jeddah are being treated to quite the lights show. Mind, the hosts have a few quid.
No Haaland, but he did win a gong today:
Pep Guardiola has won this competition three times, with Barcelona in 2009 and 2011 and Bayern in 2013. In 2009, his Barca team 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 were the beaten finalists.
The last South American team to win this trophy were Corinthians in 2012, when they beat Rafa Benitez’s Chelsea. Chelsea were the last English winners, beating Palmeiras in 2021.
No Haaland: Three changes for Manchester City, with Ruben Dias in for Manuel Akanji, who is stood down with Matheus Nunes and Mateo Kovacic. Rico Lewis and Julian Alvarez come in.
No changes for the Fluminense team that beat Al Ahly. The veterans get their spin, as does Andre, though John Kennedy will be a sub.
Updated
The teams
Manchester City: Ederson; Walker, Stones, Dias, Ake; Lewis, Rodri; Foden, Silva, Grealish; Alvarez. Subs: Ortega, Carson, Phillips, Kovacic, Gomez, Gvardiol, Akanji, Nunes, Bobb, Alleyne, Susoho, Hamilton.
Our #ClubWC final line-up 💪
— Manchester City (@ManCity) December 22, 2023
XI | Ederson, Walker (C), Stones, Dias, Ake, Rodrigo, Lewis, Bernardo, Foden, Grealish, Alvarez
SUBS | Ortega Moreno, Carson, Phillips, Kovacic, Gomez, Gvardiol, Akanji, Nunes, Bobb, Alleyne, Susoho, Hamilton#ManCity pic.twitter.com/YVPTOnm41z
Fluminense: Fabio; Xavier, Nino, Melo, Marcelo; Andre, Martinelli; Arias, Ganso, Keno; Cano. Subs: Rangel, Eudes, Marlon, Alexsander, Kennedy, Daniel, Guga, Santos, Gonzalez, Barbosa, Braz, Lima.
O #TIMEDEGUERREIROS ESTÁ ESCALADO PARA ENFRENTAR O MANCHESTER CITY, NA GRANDE FINAL DA COPA DO MUNDO DE CLUBES FIFA. VAMOS, FLUMINENSE! 🇭🇺 pic.twitter.com/5oodasxAwx
— Fluminense F.C. (@FluminenseFC) December 22, 2023
Updated
Earlier, via PA Media.
Egyptian side Al Ahly saw off a fightback from Urawa Red Diamonds to claim third place in the Club World Cup with a 4-2 victory in Jeddah.The African champions were pegged back by their Asian counterparts as a Jose Kante volley and Alexander Scholz penalty cancelled out early goals from Yasser Ibrahim and Percy Tau. Al Ahly reclaimed the lead on the hour when Yoshio Koizumi deflected an Ali Maaloul shot into his own net. Maaloul then missed a penalty but wrapped up the victory with a fine free-kick in stoppage time.
Some background on Fluminense, too.
Andre is a much-wanted midfielder. City and Liverpool have both been linked.
Flu’s coach is also coach of Brazil.
Of course, this tournament is about far more than a football trophy.
The World Club Cup and its predecessor, the Intercontinental Cup, have rarely garnered obsessive attention in Europe: the casual fan in England is more likely to remember the horrified reaction in 2000, when Manchester United pulled out of the FA Cup to compete, than the opponents Liverpool and Chelsea played when winning two of the past five finals. Europe has dominated while paying perfunctory respects. But the tournament’s status is about to rocket: going through the motions over four summer weeks will hardly be an option.
Players’ unions slammed the expansion; players themselves, given no say and burdened with near-impossible workloads, are known to view it dimly. Their employers feel differently, a fact shown in an effusive response from the European Club Association that hailed “fantastic news for club football in general”.
There’s a determination within the City camp.
Nick Ames is one of our team in Saudi Arabia.
Perhaps that will all flow back 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 greatly in beating Al-Ahly 2-0 on Monday but looked as porous as they did fluent. “They play with the ball, a lot of short passes, the combinations are really good. We will have to be aware of how much we run behind the ball and accept we play a team who play in a way we’ve never faced before.
“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
To be the champions of the world is quite the prize. Ask the players who have achieved it, and they will tell you it is a special feeling. The odd thing is the tournament itself has never quite taken off, So, good luck Don Gianni, with your 25-day club competition in the summer of 2025. Still, there is little doubt that Pep Guardiola wants to win this. He’s been in full game-face mode this week. He’s someone who fully appreciates the legacy of Brazilian football, and Fluminense definitely represent that, what with them featuring Marcelo, Ganso and Felipe Melo. (Marcelo is just 35!) In Fernando Diniz they have a coach with a revolutionary approach, and some have even compared him to Pep, though his style of play is said to be rather different. So, an intriguing tactical battle, and one played in Saudi Arabia, which is something we’re going to have to get used to.
The kick-off is at 6pm UK time. Join me.
