Late goals, fine football and a fiery atmosphere capped off an amazing night as FC Barcelona notched up their sixth piece of silverware this year (Club World Cup, Primera Division, UEFA Champions League, Copa del Rey and European and Spanish Super Cup titles), a feat never accomplished by any team.
They again had to come from behind to snatch this victory from the hands of defeat and even when on the brink they controlled the play, kept their cool and walked away with the prize… the traits of a truly special team. They simply are the benchmark that every club should aim to emulate and based on their achievements this year, it’d be fair to say that if your sister, mother and grandmother were trophies, they would have been conquered this year too!

It’s nothing personal dude, just football… and pictures of Barcelona’s historic win:

Match highlights:

Celebrations:

As the final of the Club World Cup approaches, it seems as though the old pipe smoking ladies at FIFA got their dream match and one that will financially benefit all parties involed… as well as raise the discussion of which club teams are better, those from Europe or those from South America?

All I know is that if the atmosphere I experienced at both of the semi-final matches [here and here] are anything to go by, the match tomorrow night is going to be pretty frikin’ special… add to that a significant amount of spondoolahs up for grabs
(Winner: USD5million, Runner-up: USD4million, source) and we can all expect a very special match to take place, which again, I’m aiming to be front and center for!

Picking a winner for this match is proving to be a lot harder than I initially thought, mainly cause both teams are brilliant on their days and have great players to win them matches… but screw that! I’m going with what I know is the most obvious choice, mainly because I still can’t believe how effortlessly Lionel Messi and co. brushed aside their Mexican opponents in the semi final the other night. So here goes, for the last time this competition…

I predict:
Estudiantes 1 v 2 Barcelona

Estudiantes and Barcelona in training:

It must be pretty hard to keep a level head when a stadium erupts into chanting your name every time they see you on the jumbo screen, but from the moment he came on as a second half substitute, that’s exactly what Lionel Messi did. A moment of good build up work led to Ibrahimovic passing the ball forward and with his first touches of the match, the tricky Argentine maestro produced his own magic to put Barca ahead and in command of the semi final… I’m still waiting on the confirmation from NASA, but I think it’s safe to assume that if I woke up one morning to find myself in a stadium where everyone was chanting my name, my penis’ launch velocity would make the Endeavour Space Shuttle’s look like child’s play!

Note: I, am almost as big a legend as Messi for predicting the exact score of this match… preparing for take off in 10, 9, 8, 7…

It may not be rocket science, but how else do you explain the brilliance of this young man and his team… I’ll try using pictures:

Match highlights:

If watching unknown Mexican teams getting ploughed be European Champions is your thing, good news… tonight is your night bro! And if last night’s semi-final was anything to go by, I’m expecting more goals and a few more red cards (predominately to Atylante), just to drill home that FIFA the fans want to see a Barcelona v Estudiantes final on Saturday. Try as they might, I think it’s fair to say that Atlante have less chance of winning this match than me NOT hearing the phrase “Andale! Andale! Arriba! Arriba!” tonight… and on that note, I’m off to the game. Adios mouchachos!

I predict:
Atlante 1 v 3 Barcelona

Next time you see a South Korean walking down the street run as fas as you can to the other side cause at worst, you may be vaguely kicked and barely tackled… actually come to think of it, stay where you are, chances are that unless there’s an Italian (referee) lurking around the corner, you won’t be harmed at all! I have a creeping suspicion FIFA played a role in the 3 red cards issued to Pohang last night (something about a Barca v Estudinates final)… either that or someone forgot to translate the memo reminding the South Koreans that this was a football match and not a Northern offensive.

Match highlights:

We’re down to the business end of the Club World Cup and shortly I’ll be heading to the Mohammed bin Zayed stadium to watch what should be an intriguing match. Champions of Asian club football v Champions of South American club football… should be a great indicator of the contrasts in standard, style and substance. My only hope is that the game isn’t too one sided, but I have a feeling it might be.

I predict:
Pohang Steelers 1 v 4 Estudiantes

Overnight Mexican team Atlante defeated the semi-pro’s of Auckland City in what you could expect was a one-sided match. On to more important news though, while the dudes in the banner pic were celebrating their team’s win and a chance to take on Barcelona in a couple days time, who was hanging sheetrock and pulling weeds out of my courtyard!? I demand answers damn it!

I don’t speak Mexicanese so I can’t get them to go back to work, but I do have pics and highlights from the match:

Goal highlights:

A list of other items stolen…

• TP Mazembe’s defensive knowhow
• Alot of Pohang’s goal scoring abilities and
• my umbrella, ella ella, eh eh eh.

By my count the match should have finished at least 7-3 in Pohangs favour… shit, I still can’t believe I sat out in the poring rain to watch it!

For those smart enough to stay home, aka those that didn’t really care, here are some pics and highlights:

Match highlights:

The FIFA Club World Cup kicked off last night to all the fan-fare and hooplah usually associated with FIFA tournaments and it’s already being hailed a success by organis… oh wait, scrap that, the only team representing the UAE (where the tournament is being held) was knocked out of the competition by a semi-professional team from New Zealand. Um, the only way this match could have been easier for the home side was if they were playing maimed lepers from some war torn country… and even then I’m convinced they may have struggled!

So much for the UAE representin’:

Goal highlights: