The Prince of Inter Milan starts with Brother Xiaosa

Chapter 289 Winning the Club World Cup Again

"If we win another Club World Cup, we will be six-time champions again?"

"Hahaha, Santos seems to be the only opponent this year. Neymar is probably the most familiar with them."

On the flight to Japan, Inter Milan's players talked in a relaxed mood about the upcoming Club World Cup.

Compared with the old players in the team who were reluctant to win championships, the newcomers who joined Inter Milan this summer are full of expectations for even just a Club World Cup championship.

As last season's Champions League champions, Inter Milan will start directly from the semi-finals.

The same goes for Santos, the Copa Libertadores champion from Brazil.

If there is no major upset, there is a high probability that the final of the Club World Cup will be between them.

Neymar happened to join Inter Milan from Santos, and he is very familiar with this "opponent".

"There is no way to compare in terms of overall strength. Santos is definitely not as good as us."

Neymar had a wry smile on his face. It was only after he arrived at Inter Milan that he realized how big the gap was between European professional football and South America.

"Hahaha, of course."

It's not that Inter Milan's players underestimated their opponents, it was just that their strength advantage was too obvious.

In the first two years of the Club World Cup, the Brazilian team performed pretty well.

However, since 2007, the four consecutive Club World Cup titles so far have all been won by European champions.

It can also be seen that the gap between the level of professional football in Europe and South America is gradually widening.

Last year's Brazil International even achieved the "feat" of being eliminated by an African team, which was extremely embarrassing.

After arriving in Yokohama, Japan, where this year's Club World Cup will be held, Leo was a little strange to be honest.

Yes, after the previous two editions were held in the United Arab Emirates, the hosting rights have returned to Japan.

Compared to the bustling and crowded Tokyo, Yokohama feels a little different.

As an important gateway for Japan's opening up to the outside world, Yokohama has now become a very charming port city by virtue of its superior geographical location.

“On your first day in Japan, you can go out and walk around by yourself, but be careful not to play too late.

Tomorrow not only will we have to train to adapt to the venue, we will also have to participate in activities arranged by the organizers of the Club World Cup. "

After settling in the hotel, head coach Carlo Ancelotti gave a few reminders.

After all, there are many young people in the current Inter Milan team, and it is inevitable that they cannot control themselves.

If you are tempted by Japan's custom industry, it will not affect your status the next day.

If the paparazzi takes some inappropriate photos, it will have a negative impact on the club's image.

"Boss, where should we go to play tonight?"

All of Leo's friends turned their expectant eyes to him.

This really asked about his blind spots in knowledge. Fortunately, he had an idea a few minutes ago and Leo checked some information online in advance.

"Then come with me. Let's have something to eat and drink first. After we're full, we can think about the next activities!"

"Oh yeah!"

"Go! Go!"

On weekdays, every player on the green field seems to be a mature and reliable player, but in fact they are just young people in their twenties.

Who wouldn’t be playful? What's more, this is a rare opportunity to experience "exotic customs".

On December 12, the semi-finals of the Club World Cup started at the Yokohama Arena.

Defending champion Inter Milan went into battle lightly and faced the Asian champion Al Sadd with basically no pressure.

Because Ancelotti really felt that today's opponents did not pose any threat to Inter Milan, Inter Milan made comprehensive adjustments.

In order to retain strength for the Club World Cup final three days later, the Nerazzurri used some rotation players in today's game.

Pazzini replaced Balotelli, who started the last round of the league, as the lone forward.

Bale and Neymar continued to start, with Leo as the midfielder, Pirlo and Motta behind him.

Left back Chivu, right back David Thornton, Samuel and Lucio partnered as central defender and goalkeeper Handanovic.

After the game started, Inter Milan quickly controlled the situation on the field. Even the defenders on both sides boldly stepped forward to assist the opponent's penalty area.

Al Sadd, who knew he was at an absolute disadvantage, set up a defensive iron barrel array.

But the defense of the Qatari team is far from impregnable.

Although, uh... because two days after arriving in Yokohama, the Nerazzurri players got a taste of Sakura Girl, so they were not in their best condition today.

However, against an opponent whose strength was far inferior to his own, the defending champion still attacked fiercely and formed a half-court siege.

In the 12th minute, Neymar made a breakthrough pass from the right, and Thad defender Belhadji returned the pass to the goalkeeper.

Mohammed did not dare to catch the ball with his hands, but when he hesitated, Chivu rushed forward to grab the ball bravely!

Al-Saad goalkeeper Mohamed's panicked clearance just hit Chivu's leg!
  Chivu didn't have time to react and knocked the ball into the goal with his knee!

One to zero!

Chivu, who barely got much playing time in the league and Champions League, was very lucky to score a goal today, helping Inter Milan take the lead!
  But it would be a bit unfair to Chivu to rashly attribute all this goal to luck.

In fact, everyone at Inter Milan has always seen the Romanian's efforts in their eyes.

After all, it is not easy for a player who has been seriously injured to get over his inner demons and return to the game.

It was precisely because of his previous efforts that he seized the opportunity just now and scored the defending champion's first goal in this Club World Cup.

After Inter Milan took a 1-0 lead, Al Sadd played even more confused.

The THAAD players on the field didn't know whether they should continue to defend, but they didn't have the ability to attack if they wanted to.

Leo scored the ball, and Bell broke through the left side of the penalty area and shot hard but was blocked by the defender.

Pirlo and Leo successively sent direct passes, and Pazzini was offside continuously.

Neymar broke through from the right and hit the goal but was also blocked by the defender.

Leo made a pass, Neymar's pass at the top of the penalty area was blocked, and Pazzini's volley went slightly wide.

Bell's left-footed low shot from the THAAD full-back broke into the left side of the penalty area but was blocked by Mohammed.

In the 35th minute, Pazzini was flanked by two central defenders and forced a shot but was caught by Mohammed!

Not only did the ball miss, Pazzini was injured and was taken off the field on a stretcher.

It can be said that he lost his wife and lost his troops. Ancelotti could only replace Pazzini with Berbatov with a dark face.

Although Pazzini is more often a substitute rotation player at Inter Milan, being injured in such a game is completely unnecessary.

Fortunately, it seems that the injury is not serious. I wish him a speedy recovery.

Pirlo made a pass from the front, and Berbatov hit back in the penalty area. Bell cut in and shot hard with his left foot at the top of the arc, causing Mohammed to save the ball!

Leo scored with a supplementary shot!

However, the linesman raised his flag and determined that it was offside.

Leo just felt very baffled. He kicked the goal from the edge of the penalty area. There was no offside situation at all.

If I have to say it, Berbatov's through ball from Pirlo may have been suspected of offside, but it has been several rounds, and your referee should have blown the whistle earlier!
  Thad was completely unable to attack, let alone create any threat to Inter Milan.

As a result, the Nerazzurri even overwhelmed the central defender for half the game, forming a continuous siege against last season's Asian champions.

In the 42nd minute of the game, David Thornton dribbled the ball from the right wing and scored. Neymar made a pass from the front of the penalty area, and Berbatov knocked back with his heel.

Bell volleyed hard with his left foot from the penalty area line, and the ball bounced past Mohammed's fingers!
  Two to zero!
  Inter Milan expanded its score advantage!
  Bell looked very happy, and ran to the sideline with his hands showing hearts.

Everyone gathered around to celebrate together.

The game continued, with the Sadd team trailing by two goals, and it was understandable that they were impatient.

But their defensive actions seemed a bit excessive.

Pirlo was trampled by his opponent and fell to the ground in pain, and the referee had no intention of playing a card.

Then the opponent's defender lifted his feet off the ground and gave Bell, who was dribbling the ball on the left, a "deadly scissor kick"!
  This was a serious foul that could have given a red card, but the referee only gave him a yellow card.

Neymar cut into the penalty area and was knocked to the ground by Mohammed!
  The referee did not call a penalty kick.

In this way, the first half of the game ended with a score of 2-0.

“The opponent played very dirty and made many small moves, and the referee’s decision was also controversial.

But these are not reasons and excuses. The gap in strength lies here.

In the second half, I hope you can do two things well. One is to continue to score goals and put an end to your opponent's hope!
  Another thing is to be careful not to get hurt. "

Chivu passed the ball from the left. Motta passed the defender and passed straight. Berbatov took two steps to get rid of the opponent's center defender and then shot diagonally with his left foot but was blocked by the goalkeeper.

Then Gareth Bale dribbled the ball diagonally to the top of the arc and hit the goal with his left foot, but it was still blocked by Ibrahim Abdulmajid!

In the 62nd minute, after receiving the ball from his teammate on the left, Leo attracted many defensive players in front of the arc and made a clever pass!

Neymar successfully countered offside on the right side of the penalty area and shot the ball undefended, and the low ball hit the far corner of the goal!

Three to zero!
  This time the Nerazzurri basically sealed the victory.

Leo and Neymar were substituted one after another.

In the 81st minute, Pirlo made a diagonal pass, and David Thornton pushed a shot from a small angle on the right side of the penalty area into the near corner of the goal!

Four to zero!
  There were not many spectators at this game, and most of them were local fans in Yokohama.

The performance of European champions Inter Milan did not disappoint them, and they also gave Inter Milan a warm round of applause.

At the end of the game, Inter Milan easily defeated the AFC Champions League Al Sadd of Qatar with a score of 4-0 in Yokohama!

Not only did he demonstrate his absolute strength as the European champion, he also successfully joined the South American champion Santos in the final of this year's Club World Cup!

"Recovery training will begin tomorrow afternoon, and everyone will make their own arrangements in the morning.

My suggestion is to take a good rest, after all, the day after tomorrow is the Club World Cup final.

At that time, I will select players based on their status. Don't let anyone ask me why I don't start you with a pair of black eyes. ”    Just as Inter Milan was busy preparing for the Club World Cup finals, the Champions League also concluded the draw ceremony for the knockout rounds.

On the evening of December 12, the draw ceremony for this season’s UEFA Champions League quarter-finals was held at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland.

According to the draw rules of the Champions League knockout stage, the team that reaches the top 16 and wins the first place in the group stage will face the second place of other groups in the quarter-finals.

But teams from the same country must be avoided.

In this way, AC Milan, which advanced as second in the group, became an opponent that those teams that advanced as first in the group feared to avoid.

Only Inter Milan, also from Italy, and Barcelona, ​​which were in the same group as AC Milan in the group stage, can avoid the "Rosone Rossoneri".

In the end, Arsenal unfortunately won the "big prize", and Wenger's team would have to start a life-and-death showdown with AC Milan in the quarter-finals.

Chelsea, on the other hand, drew Serie A dark horse Napoli, who defeated Premier League leader Manchester City in the group of death to advance to the knockout rounds.

Perhaps UEFA has made the narrow encounter between the Premier League and Serie A the focus, making these two sets of Anglo-Italian confrontations a guarantee for ratings in the quarter-finals.

But for these teams that have drawn strong opponents, it is difficult to laugh.

Bookmakers were the quickest to react. They immediately lowered the winning odds of these four teams by more than one step.

The two favorites, Barcelona and Real Madrid, both got good draws, and their opponents are Bayer Leverkusen and CSKA Moscow respectively.

The other two teams that attracted more attention, the defending champion Inter Milan was drawn to Marseille in Ligue 1, while the Bundesliga hegemon Bayern Munich was drawn to Basel.

This is undoubtedly a good signing for the Nerazzurri.

"Marseille was the runner-up in Ligue 1 last season, right? Is it so bad this season?"

"Who knows, that's a good thing. The pressure on us to advance will be very small."

Leo nodded silently as he looked at Marseille, which was ranked eighth in the French Ligue 1 standings.

"It's really good. France is relatively close, so it won't be a long journey."

On December 2011, 12, the final of the 18th Club World Cup will begin in Yokohama, Japan!
  The defending champion faces South American champion Santos.

If the Nerazzurri succeed in defending their title, they will become the first team in history to win the Club World Cup twice.

In the earlier third-place final, Al Sadd and Kashiwa Reysol tied 0-0 for 90 minutes, and finally won 5-3 in a penalty shootout.

Before the final started, Neymar ran over to say hello to his former teammates from his old club.

Especially his good friend Ganso, who is also known as the Santos Twins.

Inter Milan continued the 4,231 starting lineup of the semi-finals, but Ancelotti still made some minor changes in personnel.

Balotelli's single arrow shot forward, and Bale and Neymar lined up on the wings.

Leo is the attacking midfielder, Modric and De Rossi are in the midfield.

Left back Kolarov, right back Zanetti, Bonucci and Ranocchia partnered as central defenders, and the goalkeeper was Handanovic.

Ganso started the game, with former Brazilian international Elano as a substitute.

Before the start of the season, Inter Milan had a friendly match with Santos.

However, Neymar had just left at that time and Ganso was injured, so it seems that it cannot be said that the opponent is playing at full strength.

It's different today. Although more people are optimistic about Inter Milan, there are also many people who think Santos is not that easy to deal with.

After the game started, the Nerazzurri played very proactively.

Bashen's opening breakthrough was accurately intercepted by the Santos defender.

Ganso's direct pass was intercepted by Bonucci, and Inter Milan quickly counterattacked and hit the frontcourt.

Leo distributed the ball to the left wing during the counterattack. Bell accelerated and was intercepted by Santos' right back!
  Bell himself was surprised. He didn't pay attention to the Brazilian full-back who was opposite him at all.

"What's this kid's name? Danilo, right?"

The 20-year-old young Brazilian defender showed great talent in the finals of the Club World Cup.

Several of Inter Milan's attacks at the beginning were well resolved by their opponents.

But as the game progressed, the situation on the field changed inadvertently.

After all, the Brazilian team is not a team that is good at defense. It is really difficult for them to face the top offensive line in Europe.

Although Bale, Balotelli and Neymar are all young, their strength and talent are obvious to all.

Coupled with Leo's scheduling organization, they were effectively integrated into a whole.

It has the effect of one plus one plus one being greater than three.

In the seventh minute, Leo took the ball in the frontcourt and passed the defensive player and went straight into the penalty area!
  Balotelli cleverly stopped the ball with a heel, turned around, got rid of Durval, and came to the small penalty area!

Based on Bashen's character, he would definitely hit the door by himself. Such a good opportunity.

But then he heard a "Here!"

The voice was so familiar that you knew it was Leo who said it without turning around.

Balotelli didn't even hesitate and knocked the ball back decisively.

Facing the defensive player Leo, he nimbly dodged it and calmly shot a goal in front of the small penalty area!

With Leo's goal, the defending champion took the lead in breaking the deadlock on the field!

There is nothing to say about the football atmosphere in Japan. It’s hard to say how many Inter Milan fans were at the scene. Anyway, they applauded and cheered thunderously after they scored!

A goal was just the beginning, and the Nerazzurri continued their onslaught.

Leo and Modric hit the wall and passed the ball straight. Neymar was tripped by his opponent in the penalty area!
  The referee didn't say anything.

In the twelfth minute, Zanetti broke through from the right wing and penetrated diagonally into the penalty area with a powerful long-range shot with his right foot!
  Santos goalkeeper Rafael flew to save the ball!

Bell shot directly from the left side of the penalty area, but was bravely saved by Rafael!
  Inter Milan made a comeback a minute later, and De Rossi's long-range shot from outside the penalty area was inaccurate.

Santos could only find opportunities to counterattack in Inter Milan's stormy continuous offensive.

In the 15th minute, Kolarov made a mistake in his pass. Santos intercepted the ball and made a quick counterattack!
  Ganso passed the ball, but Borges dribbled the ball inside the penalty area and was intercepted by Ranocchia.

Then Balotelli's curved shot from the left front of the penalty area was blocked by the opponent's goalkeeper!
  Santos' goalkeeper seemed to have found his form, making heroic saves to block many threatening shots from Inter Milan.

However, in the 24th minute, Zanetti made a pass from the right. Modric stopped the ball and passed Bruno Rodrigo before hitting a low shot that caused Rafael to miss the ball!
  Balotelli followed up with a follow-up shot from close range and succeeded in an empty goal!

Two to zero!
  Inter Milan expanded the score!
  The situation is becoming increasingly unfavorable for Santos, and they must strengthen their offense.

Borges was brought down by Bonucci in the right corner of the penalty area, and Santos got an excellent free kick opportunity!

They played a tactical coordination, Caldek took a slight free kick, and Ganso's long shot with his left foot missed the near corner of the goal!

After half an hour of play, Inter Milan had 70% of the ball possession and more than twice as many shots as their opponents.

The situation occupies an absolute advantage, and there is absolutely no hope for Santos.

Leo made a pass from the front, and Neymar succeeded in countering offside. He turned around in the penalty area and fired a shot that hit the post and popped out!
  Santos' defensive player signaled to the referee that his opponent was offside, but the referee just shook his head.

In the 44th minute, Zanetti made a diagonal pass from the right. Balotelli stopped the ball in the penalty area and knocked the ball with his heel. Neymar made a pass near the right baseline!
  Santos goalkeeper Rafael flew to block it, but the ball did not leave the dangerous area.

Afterwards, Bell followed up with a header. Rafael reacted quickly and subconsciously blocked the ball!

Oops, what a coincidence, the ball landed right in front of Leo.

Unmarked, Leo easily pushed the shot into the lower right corner of the net!

Three to zero!
  The half is not over yet, and Inter Milan is already leading 3-0.

In the stoppage time of the first half, Ganso went straight to the right side of the penalty area. Borges shot from a small angle, but Handanovic fell to the ground and pinned him down.

With a three-goal lead, Inter entered the dressing room.

It can be said that the game was only average, and the defending champion had already secured the victory in advance.

In the second half, the game changed sides and Santos took the lead in making substitutions.

Elano comes off the bench to replace Danilo.

Obviously, Sanchez, who was lagging behind, wanted to strengthen his attack.

However, the ball was still under the control of the Nerazzurri after the start of the second half.

De Rossi stole the ball in the frontcourt, and after receiving the ball, Leo observed the situation and sent a direct pass with his left foot.

After Danilo was replaced, Bell can be said to have made a breakthrough on the left wing as if he was in no one's land.

After getting rid of the defensive player, Bell hit the middle.

Balotelli followed up with a right-footed push that was saved by Santos goalkeeper Rafael.

Leo took a corner kick, but Balotelli, who was in the forward position, failed to take off in time due to interference from the opponent's defender and missed it.

Bell, who was in the back position, leaned on the defender and scored with an overhead hook with his left foot!

The Welshman himself didn't know what to do. He fell to the ground and turned around to see the ball in the goal. He still didn't recover.

It wasn't until the audience cheered that Bell realized that he had scored!
  And it was a wonderful upside-down golden hook to score!

Four to zero!
  This game has completely lost its suspense!
  Bale sprinted all the way to the sideline and performed a classic golf swing to celebrate the goal.

With a four-goal lead, Inter Milan finally slowed down the pace of the game.

In the 78th minute, Leo moved the ball in the frontcourt, turned around, broke through the defense and scored the ball.

Neymar quickly stepped in to form a single goal, but the linesman hesitated and still ruled it offside.

After that, the Nerazzurri stopped attacking aggressively and spent more time controlling the ball in their own half.

Santos, who had no chance at all, basically gave up completely and remained indifferent as Inter Milan fell behind.

In the 82nd minute, Leo made a precise long pass from a distance.

Neymar received the ball and broke into the right side of the penalty area to face the Santos goalkeeper alone.

His signature feint changed direction, Neymar passed Rafael and then pushed the shot into the empty goal!

Five to zero!
  After Inter Milan took a four-goal lead, Neymar was the only one left who was the most aggressive in attack.

Because he wanted to show it in front of his old club and prove that he had a good life after going to Inter Milan.

And his efforts were not in vain, he finally scored a goal when both sides were almost ready to call it quits!
  At the end of the game, defending champion Inter Milan defeated South American champion Santos 5-0!
  Inter Milan not only successfully defended the title, but also became the first team to win the Club World Cup twice!
  (End of this chapter)