The event in the Arab Emirates opened with the 4-1 victory of Al-Jazira over the Tahitians of As Pirae. Seven teams involved, the big Champions and Libertadores in the field from the semifinals. The final on February 12th
After overcoming various obstacles, including postponements and relocations, the Club World Cup has finally begun. The edition opened with the clear success of Al-Jazira, champions of the United Arab Emirates hosts, on Tahiti’s As Pirae, selected to represent Oceania. As expected, there was no story: the home team won 4-1 with 73% of possession, managing to close the game in the first half. Al Ameri unlocked the match after just 5 minutes, then goals from Al Attas (25 ‘) and Kosanovic (40’) addressed the challenge. At the start of the second half, Rabii’s own goal allowed As Pirae to close the gap, re-established by Diaby in the 63rd minute.
The tournament formula
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Despite Fifa’s intention to expand the format of the competition, the model has remained the same to seven teams: the champions of the host nation, in this case the United Arab Emirates, face the team representing Oceania. The winner (therefore the Al-Jazira), according to the draw, will challenge the champions of the Asian continental cup Al-Hilal; the other pairing confronts the Egyptians of Al-Ahly and the Mexicans of Monterrey, who have won the tournaments in Africa and Central America. Those who pass the round will respectively meet Chelsea, holders of the Champions League, and Palmeiras who triumphed in Libertadores. The final is scheduled for February 12 and will be played in Abu Dhabi like all other matches, divided into two facilities: the Mohammed bin Zayed stadium, the main one that hosts the Al-Jazira matches, and the Al Nahyan stadium.
Technical Problems
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The pandemic has complicated the edition of the Club World Cup, which generally takes place in December. Initially, China should have welcomed the competition, the first with the 24-team format, but the decision to postpone the introduction of the new formula led to the change of host country. The nomination went to Japan, which however announced last September the renouncement of the organization of the tournament. Hence, the task has passed to the UAE with the slip to date. Another novelty concerned the participant from Oceania: there had to be Auckland City but the restrictions introduced by New Zealand for the coronavirus prevented the team from participating and in its place the As Pirae of Tahiti was chosen, whose however, the story has already ended.
February 3 – 8:05 pm
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