Inter shock Barca to lift World Club title in Yokohama

YOKOHAMA – Substitute Adriano fired an 82nd-minute winner as Brazil’s Internacional beat Barcelona 1-0 to win the Club World Cup in a smash-and-grab raid yesterday.

Barcelona had totally dominated in front of 67 000 in Yokohama until Adriano latched on to Iarley’s clever ball to beat goalkeeper Victor Valdes with the deftest of flicks. Adriano’s strike was a bolt from the blue and stunned Barcelona into action.Deco forced a superb save from Inter goalkeeper Clemer moments later and Ronaldinho shaved the post with a free kick from 25 metres in the 85th minute as Barca tried to respond.Barcelona struggled to reproduce the same form they showed in their 4-0 demolition of Mexico’s America in the semi-finals.But Inter, who scraped past Egypt’s Al Ahli 2-1 in their previous game, rarely threatened and Adriano’s breakaway winner came from a rare upfield raid by the Libertadores Cup holders.”I’m over the moon,” said Adriano.”It’s great to beat Barcelona.We were under a lot of pressure in the first half but we got better as the game went on.”Ronaldinho squandered Barcelona’s best chance of the first half, blasting into the side-netting after goalkeeper Clemer had spilled Deco’s long-range shot in the 19th minute.Substitute Xavi forced a sharp save from Clemer in the 74th minute after a clever flick from Deco but Barca failed to add the finishing touch to their slick build-up play.Deco was voted player of the tournament but it was scant consolation for a Barcelona side bidding to go one better than Johan Cruyff’s stylish side of the early 1990s.”We controlled the game,” said Barcelona coach Frank Rijkaard.”But you have to credit Internacional.They were the better team tonight.We paid for not taking our chances.”Cruyff’s Barca lost 2-1 to Sao Paulo in 1992 in the Club World Cup’s forerunner – a one-off game between the European and South American champions.Inter’s victory made it two wins out of two for Brazilian teams in the revamped Fifa tournament involving the world’s six continental champions.Sao Paulo beat Liverpool 1-0 in last year’s final.This year, Liverpool did not compete at the tournament and had a domestic fixture in the premiership against Charlton Athletic which they won 3-0.Nampa-ReutersAdriano’s strike was a bolt from the blue and stunned Barcelona into action.Deco forced a superb save from Inter goalkeeper Clemer moments later and Ronaldinho shaved the post with a free kick from 25 metres in the 85th minute as Barca tried to respond.Barcelona struggled to reproduce the same form they showed in their 4-0 demolition of Mexico’s America in the semi-finals.But Inter, who scraped past Egypt’s Al Ahli 2-1 in their previous game, rarely threatened and Adriano’s breakaway winner came from a rare upfield raid by the Libertadores Cup holders.”I’m over the moon,” said Adriano.”It’s great to beat Barcelona.We were under a lot of pressure in the first half but we got better as the game went on.”Ronaldinho squandered Barcelona’s best chance of the first half, blasting into the side-netting after goalkeeper Clemer had spilled Deco’s long-range shot in the 19th minute.Substitute Xavi forced a sharp save from Clemer in the 74th minute after a clever flick from Deco but Barca failed to add the finishing touch to their slick build-up play.Deco was voted player of the tournament but it was scant consolation for a Barcelona side bidding to go one better than Johan Cruyff’s stylish side of the early 1990s.”We controlled the game,” said Barcelona coach Frank Rijkaard.”But you have to credit Internacional.They were the better team tonight.We paid for not taking our chances.”Cruyff’s Barca lost 2-1 to Sao Paulo in 1992 in the Club World Cup’s forerunner – a one-off game between the European and South American champions.Inter’s victory made it two wins out of two for Brazilian teams in the revamped Fifa tournament involving the world’s six continental champions.Sao Paulo beat Liverpool 1-0 in last year’s final.This year, Liverpool did not compete at the tournament and had a domestic fixture in the premiership against Charlton Athletic which they won 3-0.Nampa-Reuters

In an age of information overload, Sunrise is The Namibian’s morning briefing, delivered at 6h00 from Monday to Friday. It offers a curated rundown of the most important stories from the past 24 hours – occasionally with a light, witty touch. It’s an essential way to stay informed. Subscribe and join our newsletter community.

The Namibian uses AI tools to assist with improved quality, accuracy and efficiency, while maintaining editorial oversight and journalistic integrity.