And it ends 3:0. Congrats to Barcelona on their third CWC title. It is also the 8th title for Spain and 29th title for Europe in combined IC/CWC history. @unclesox Tsk, tsk.....in 2011 you won both matches 4:0. Slipping. I'm sure Neymar is happy to be on the winning side after 2011 but his selfish play prevented a higher score.
Congrats Barça! Also worth noting that UEFA clubs have now strung together six straight games with a clean sheet. If only Gerardo Torrado hadn't choked with his penalty...
A win is a win is a win, etc. After 2-0 Messi had a couple of attempts at goal but they had a kind of "I don't want to hurt my fellow Argentines too much" feel to them. And the River players seemed not to want to foul Messi. Too much respect, imo. Perhaps understandable, though.
Did you notice that too? LOL better you said it than me. I guess if you are a River fan. Its a double satisfaction to watch River in the Final and watch your countrymen Messi and Mascherano
Congrats Barça! Resistance is futile. Good display by River Plate. No other Confederation can play a european club like that. INSANE! First half was good even with a handball by Messi on the goal. Not quite up to the display of Estudiantes. Second half was elementary. 3 goals all by South Americans. Until next year people where another European club wins this tournament.
South Americans played for all teams in this competition, except for Tout Puissant (only Africans). Auckland played 1, America played 9, Evergrande played 4, Sanfrecce played 1, River played only S. Americans, and Barcelona 7.
I saw the Mascherano interview at the end. He was clearly bittersweet. He was glad Barca won but you could tell he loves Riber. He praised them more than he did Barca.
That's the reality of South American clubs and South Americans footballers. Its also shows his professionalism. If you watched this tournament years back. You used to be able to witness losing footballers balling their eyes out with grief. Now its a formality. What can you do? No one in the world can say they are surprised Barca won.
What reality? The fact that footballers have affection for the clubs they started in in their home countries? You see that all over the world it has nothing to do with South America. Players not celebrating if they score against a former club they were a part of.
I still have that Estudiantes-Barca game on The DVR. That Pincha squad was IMO superior to this River team, very solid in goal, at the back (DeSabato was a menace to Ibrahimovich all game long). Boselli's goal was a body blow to that Barca. Great match that almost resulted in an historic CONMEBOL win. I've erased lots of games on the home DVRs, but regardless of space I need can't seem to hit DELETE on that one..
The reality that South American clubs sell their best players to Europe. So SA clubs are depleted both in Players and competition. All what you said above is a given and is known by every football fan everywhere but When people here put up stats. Its Europe won this much and South america won this much. Not Messi scored this or Suarez scored that. Europe is dominating this tournament.
The reality is also that since winning Libertadores River has been struggling all semester against lesser competition. I think a top South American team at its peak can compete against top European teams. Perhaps River six months ago might have done better. For some reason, they slipped since them, and for anybody who's been watching them play lately, the result against Barca was predictable.
I don't think so. South America can put up a good game but Europe will win. Don't know how much Funes Mori would've help but Balanta is nowhere near his talent. And to play Barca up that high knowing you have the best 9 striker in world waiting for a screw up? INSANE!!!
What you say is true about places like Beijing and Shanghai. But I used to travel to Dalian -a northern city- on business, and they are very much a huge soccer loving city. I'm sure there are others. China varies a lot, from region to region.
River did what they could. What did you expect? They faced the best player in the world, accompanied by Iniesta, Neymar and Messi. They never had a chance.
I was there in person in Abu Dhabi and that match is probably my favorite CWC memory. I hope we get another final like that in the UAE in 2017 or 2018. Perhaps it's time CONMEBOL considers a calendar move for the Liberatdores with the final in November? Apparently CONCACAF is also considering a move. You could have all confederations except UEFA complete their premier club competition in November. That would ensure good playing form, unchanged rosters and best of all - zero excuses.
Final Standings: 1. FC Barcelona (UEFA) 2. River Plate (CONMEBOL) 3. Sanfrecce Hiroshima (AFC, Host) 4. Guangzhou Evergrande (AFC) 5. Club America (CONCACAF) 6. TP Mazembe (CAF) 7. Auckland City (OFC) "Emerging Confederations" Top Three Placements: AFC (Total 5) 3rd: 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2015 CAF (Total 3) 2nd: 2010, 2013 3rd: 2006 CONCACAF (Total 3) 3rd: 2000, 2005, 2012 OFC (Total 1) 3rd: 2014
Oh come on! Every single year I see this especially from the S Americans and Mexicans. Oh we didn't send the best team XXXX would have done much better In the last years Barca Real and Bayern were Europe's top team and truly were the best in the world. No matter who the other confederation sent the end result would have been the same
Obviously the top European teams that buy the best players in the world including the best South Americans (6 starters in the case of Barca this time) are going to be the favorites, especially now that they often buy them when they are still teens. But the difference is not as big as what we saw on the field last night between Barca and River. And it's not "every single year". South American teams have won it 3 of the last 10 CWCs, which is obviously a drop from previous decades. I'd say that reflects the difference well at this time. 25 to 30 percent chance of winning it is about right for the Copa Libertadores champion, which considering the difference in budget between European and South American teams is remarkable.