European champions Inter Milan squashed the demons which had haunted coach beleaguered coach Rafael Benitez to win the Fifa Club World Cup presented by Toyota when they breezed past a spirited TP Mazembe side 3-0 in the final at Zayed Sports City stadium in Abu Dhabi on Saturday night.
Inter Milan became the first Italian side to collect five major trophies in a single calendar year after seizing control of the match following a tentative start with two strikes within the space of five minutes in the first half.
A crowd of over 42,000 saw Goran Pandev and Cameroon star Samuel Eto’o put Inter in the driving seat before substitute Jonathan Biabiany completed the rout five minutes from time.
The victory will come as some relief to Spaniard Benitez, who has failed to live up to the high expectations since taking on the unenviable task of succeeding Jose Mourinho.
Inter add the Club World Cup crown to their Champions League, Serie A, Italian cup and European Super Cup titles, emulating the achievement of Barcelona last year. Inter also won the Italian Supercup in pre-season.
Fifa president Joseph Sepp Blatter presented the Club World Cup trophy to Inter Milan skipper Javier Zanetti amidst thunderous applause and a deafening fireworks display.
Benitez, embraced by Inter president Massima Moratti at the end, was a happy man having landed his first silverware since leaving Anfield - but also struck a cautious note.
“My relationship with the chairman is good - but I ask the club for help and respect - they did not come up with the goods after what they told me in the summer about (new) signings and so it’s not easy,” said the Spaniard alluding to his desire to strengthen his injury-ravaged squad.
He insisted his overall relationship with the club was solid.
However, he laid out three conditions to the club management.
“One, 100 percent support for the coach and buy four or five players - to build a stronger team with competition among the players to be able to carry on winning matches and trophies,” said Benitez.
“Two, carry on like this without a project, without planning and go ahead with one person to blame, for the whole season getting to May this way.
“The third is to speak to my agent, reach an agreement if there is not this support. Simple.”
The coach’s comments brought an immediate response from Moratti, who praised Benitez for the way he masterminded the win but said it was not the time to talk about new signings.
“It’s not the moment to ask (for reinforcements) and it is not something we will decide now,” Moratti told reporters.
“He managed the game very well, I saw his handiwork.”
However, Benitez told the post-match news conference: “I want the support of the club and the players...I’m a professional who has worked (in soccer) for 25 years so I want respect and support.”
The Spaniard said Inter had spent nothing to strengthen the squad this season after he had initially asked for three or four new players to ensure the team improved.
“After winning so much the competition among players will be positive,” said Benitez.
Benitez concluded there must be a reason for a squad with so many injuries so he ordered a scientific study.
“It’s clear that this team has all the risk factors,” he said. “The first is age - there are 15 players over 30.”
Players had not had sufficient rest after the World Cup in South Africa which brought more risk of injury, he added.
“The players were squeezed to the maximum,” said the former Liverpool coach.
TP Mazembe coach Lamine N’Diaye said Inter deserved their win.
“They were much stronger than us and thoroughly deserved their victory. Experience won out this evening. Physically we were exhausted.
“The previous games we played against Pachuca (the Mexican side they defeated in the quarter-finals) and then against Internacional (of Brazil, in the semis) were tough and took a lot out of us,” N’Diaye admitted.
“We lacked an extra day to get over that. The team were not at their best tonight,” he said.
But N’Diaye added that the team should still feel proud of its achievement in coming so far.
“There are many good players on the African continent. But we are still a little way off where we need to be. Mazembe have taken an important step and another team can emulate this in the future. Africa has progressed - we saw that with Ghana at the World Cup as they came close to reaching the semi-finals.
“We will get there,” he insisted.
TP Mazembe, who had stunned Brazilian club Internacional to earn their place in the final, attempted to hustle the opposition particularly in the second half but never threatened to cause another upset.
However, in their over exuberance they found themselves on the wrong end of Japanese referee Yuichi Nishimura’s decision, with four players earning yellow cards.
Eto’o, who won the adidas Golden Ball award, laid on the 13th-minute opener for Pandev with a defence-splitting pass, and then got on the end of a pass from the outstanding Zanetti to grab the second.
Zanetti was the midfield general for Inter as he controlled the passage of play in attack particularly in the first half before dropping back in defence to join the rock solid Brazilian Lucio.
Winner of the Toyota Player of the Final award, Eto’o chipped over the defence for Pandev to deftly to toe the ball with his left foot through two defenders just inside the near post.
Esteban Cambiasso launched the next scoring move with Zanetti finding Eto’o whose powerful drive from the middle on the edge of the area nestled in the left corner of the goal giving the Mazembe stopper Muteba Kidiaba no chance.
Inter had further chances to finish off their Congolese opponents, but Diego Milito faltered after breaking the offside trap in the 24th minute but Kidiaba made the first save with his right leg before Joel Kimwaki cleared it to safety.
The goalkeeper would deny the Argentine forward again in similar fashion just before half-time before Mazembe enjoyed their best chance, Dioko Kaluyituka’s powerful shot being blocked by Ivan Cordoba.
In the second half, Maicon made a charging run only to see his shot strike the outside of the post.
Kaluyituka, winner of the adidas Silver Ball award, then had another chance to halve the deficit but while attempting to round Julio Cesar, he was forced wide and the angle became too acute.
He then forced a good save from Cesar with a strong volley as Mazembe looked dangerous on the break.
Inter were pinned in their side for most of the second half before Biabiany who replaced Milito in the 70th minute made inroads. He got the breakthrough by timing his run superbly, juggling the ball with his right before beating Kidiaba with a left footed shot from close range.
Sport Club Internacional rout Seongnam
Former Club World Cup champions Sport Club Internacional from Brazil produced a goal fest to win the third place playoff against 10-man Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma FC 4-2.
Brazilian Alecsandro was their star performer scoring a brace after laying up for Tinga to score the opening goal in the 15th minute with a downward header.
Andres Alessandro, who won the adidas Bronze Ball award, got on the scoresheet in the 52nd minute with a powerful drive from over 30 metres which went in off the right post.
Colombian Mauricio Molina scored two late consolation goals for the South Korean champions with superb left-footed strikes but the match was over as a contest when Jang Suk Won saw red after a second yellow card offence when he shouldered a charging Tinga in the 34th minute.
Seongnam’s Radoncic Dzenan having come in as a substitute, added to their woes when he hobbled out holding his leg after having attempted a shot which was blocked by the advancing Internacional’s stopper Renan. Rafael Sobis also followed suit early in the second half pulling up after missing a clear chance.
Alessandro set up Alecsandro’s first goal in the 27th minute with a deft pass to his left. Alecsandro volleyed it to the top left corner of goal from just inside the area but blasted over the crossbar minutes later.
SC Internacional’s were attacking in ceaseless waves after Alessandro’s effort early in the second half with Tinga’s shot being tipped over the bar by Seongnam goalkeeper Jung Sung Ryong who made several good saves.
But he could not prevent Alecsandro getting a second in the 71st minute latching onto a cross from Nei.
However, Seongnam gained some consolation with Molina’s late heroics, the second coming in the last seconds of the match.
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