ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates—Cristiano Ronaldo scored from a free kick as Real Madrid claimed its third Club World Cup title after beating Brazilian team Gremio, 1-0, last Saturday.
The Ballon d’Or winner fired his right-footed shot between two players in Gremio’s defensive wall, leaving goalkeeper Marcelo Grohe no hope of reaching the ball before it bounced inside the post in the 53rd minute.
“[Ronaldo] is always there at the key moments,” Madrid Coach Zinedine Zidane said. “Nobody can do what he does.”
Madrid became the first team to retain the Fifa Club World Cup title, and collected its fifth trophy of 2017, along with the Champions League, Spanish league, European Super Cup and Spanish Super Cup.
Ronaldo celebrated the goal by rushing to Madrid’s dugout where he was embraced by his teammates. The goal increased Ronaldo’s record to seven goals in the competition. He also scored in Madrid’s 2-1 comeback win over Al Jazira in the semifinals.
“What am I going to say? The numbers speak for themselves. I am very happy. The team played fantastically well and it has won another title,” Ronaldo said. “We played a very good game and deserved the victory.”
Madrid equaled Barcelona’s record of three titles for the short knockout tournament between the champions of Fifa’s six continental confederations and the host nation’s league winner.
European clubs have won 10 of the last 11 Club World Cups, with only Brazil’s Corinthians interrupting that streak in 2012 when it defeated Chelsea.
Zidane played the same starting 11 from last season’s Champions League final in June, when Madrid crushed Juventus, 4-1—led by Ronaldo’s double.
The European champions outclassed Gremio throughout the match, but the closest they got to scoring in the first half was Dani Carvajal’s goal-bound volley in the 20th that was cleared by Pedro Geromel.
Gremio had to scramble on several occasions to stop Madrid inside its own area. At the other end, a free kick by Edilson for the South American champions swerved onto the top netting near the half-hour mark.
Geromel had tried to set the tone early on with a hard tackle that left Ronaldo writhing in pain, and hoping for a booking that never came.
Ronaldo had a poor first half. He twice erred in short passes with his back heel that failed to reach his teammates, and he squandered a good opportunity when he took too long to shoot when a loose ball fell to him close to the net.
All that changed after the interval. Ronaldo baited Jailson into fouling him outside the area with some fancy dribbling, setting up his winner.
Ronaldo thought he had another goal moments later, but Karim Benzema was ruled offside before he passed the ball back to Ronaldo.
Marcelo Grohe kept his side in the game by pushing Luka Modric’s shot onto his post and denied Ronaldo a second goal, but Gremio never mounted a serious response to get the equalizer.
Mexico’s Pachuca beat Al Jazira, 4-1, in the third-place match earlier last Saturday.
NEYMAR, PSG PREVAIL
THE world’s two most expensive soccer stars, meanwhile, both scored as Paris Saint-Germain restored its nine-point lead in the French league with a 4-1 win at Rennes last Saturday in Paris.
Brazil forward Neymar scored twice and turned provider for Kylian Mbappe and striker Edinson Cavani, while Mbappe set up both of Neymar’s goals.
Neymar put PSG ahead in the fourth minute, turning in Mbappe’s cross from the right. Roles were reversed when teenage star Mbappe then netted from Neymar’s cross in the 17.
Neymar and Mbappe joined in the summer transfer window, with PSG paying Barcelona a world record €222 million ($262 million). Mbappe, who turns 19 next Wednesday, joined from defending champion Monaco in a deal worth €180 million ($216 million).
Rennes pulled a goal back early in the second half through striker Firmin Mubele, but then had influential midfielder Benjamin Andre sent off in the 63rd minute for a second yellow card following a late challenge on center back Presnel Kimpembe, who was also sent off late on.
Andre’s red card prompted an angry reaction from Rennes Coach Sabri Lamouchi, who argued with referee Antony Gautier.
PSG profited from the extra man to make it 3-1 when Cavani ran onto Neymar’s pass to brilliantly flick the ball over goalkeeper Tomas Koubek in the 75th for his league-leading 18th goal of the season. A minute later Cavani released Mbappe down the right, he crossed quickly, and Neymar slid in at the back post to grab his 11th of the season.
PSG was ruthless in attack but its poor defending—which had also been seen in a recent 2-1 loss at Strasbourg—let Rennes back into the game in the 53rd.
From a corner, midfielder Morgan Amalfitano was left unmarked and his header hit the front post. The ball rolled across the goal and presented Mubele with a tap-in.
Kimpembe was sent off in the 89th. He was beaten by a pass played behind him and clumsily chopped down midfielder James Lea Siliki. But winger Wahbi Khazri blazed the penalty over the top.
Second-place Monaco won 4-0 at Saint-Etienne last Friday night.
Image credits: AP