Liverpool World Champions: Lift Club World Cup For First Time In Qatar
European champions Liverpool capped off a successful football year in dramatic style by lifting their first FIFA Club World Cup trophy, with a nail-biting 1-0 victory in extra time against Brazilian side Flamengo inside a packed Khalifa International Stadium in Qatar’s capital, Doha.
It is an outcome you have to feel will fuel their drive for domestic supremacy and lead the march towards a first league title in 30 years.
That this side have done what no other achieved in its glorious past says a lot about the names pulling on their iconic red shirts.
Roberto Firmino scored the decisive goal in extra time to ensure that Jurgen Klopp’s side lifted the Club World Cup trophy and become the first club to hold the Champions League, Super Cup and the Club World Cup.
The chief architect of the triumph was captain Jordan Henderson who all night was delivering creative passes to the forward line some through through eye of a needle to make sure Liverpool claim their first-ever FIFA Club World Cup title
It was a stellar performance from the captain, delivering with vision, passing and spatial awareness a win which reveals how quickly football fortunes can change.
“I think this may be the only trophy the club hasn’t won, so to be able to do it today is huge for us, putting ourselves in the history books and making sure we’re remembered as a really good Liverpool team. It’s an exciting time to be a Liverpool player.” said home grown player Trent Alexander-Arnold
Liverpool, runners-up in 2005, became only the second English side after Manchester United to triumph at the international annual club tournament.
Liverpool are also on course for their first English Premier League title since 1989-90, sitting at the top of the table with a 10-point lead over Leicester City midway through the season.
Coincidentally, Liverpool will return to England and face Leicester City on Boxing Day in a table topping Premier League clash.
The Foxes were unable to close the gap on the league leaders on Saturday, falling to a 3-1 defeat at current champions Manchester City.
What make Liverpool victory sweet is the fact that , the Club World Cup clashed with Liverpool’s Carabao Cup quarter-final at Aston Villa, meaning they had to send separate teams to compete in the competitions.
A youthful Reds side lost that game 5-0 at Villa Park but the first team were able to add another trophy to the cabinet and they return to England with a 10-point lead at the top of the Premier League, as well as a game in hand over their rivals.
One concern for Liverpool was a potential injury to comeback kid Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain as the England midfielder, 26, was seen using crutches and wearing a protective boot during Liverpool’s celebrations having earlier been substituted following an awkward fall.
By Gerald Dandah
