The match wasn't too difficult for the European Champions, but they were set back in the first minutes when Sneijder received a tough challenge and had to be substituted by Thiago Motta. Although it seems like a simple muscular strain the Dutch midfielder will be missing the final of the tournament. But this setback was truly temporary, with Dejan Stankovic slipping through the Seongnam defence to score in the third minute.
A tough tackle on Sneijder
After that Diego Milito set up Inter's captain Javier Zanetti in front of goal with a delightful backheel, and Zanetti coolly volleyed into the bottom corner. In the second half, Diego Milito got his chance to score when Seongnam's keeper saved well from Eto'o's shot, but couldn't keep out Milito's finish from the rebound. While Inter Milan played well, they weren't always creating chances. It's an improvement from their recent performances, but there's room for improvement.
The final between TP Mazembe and Inter Milan will be played on Saturday. I'll certainly be watching it, and I advise you to watch it as well. I'm very interested in seeing how TP Mazembe will play against Inter Milan, and how they plan on scoring goals. Share your comments below!
While the World Club Cup rolls around every year, and many think that it's just a couple of friendlies for the European and South American champions, thats not how FIFA's tournament has panned out this season.
The first semi-final between TP Mazembe and Internacional took place today, and it was quite a shock result with the African champions winning 2-0 against the Brazilian team.
Internacional had been the better side in the first half, creating plenty of opportunities which were either not finished well, or saved by Mazembe's keeper Kidiaba. But the second half was different, and the South American champions will rue their missed chances. TP Mazembe scored twice in the second half, with Kabungu netting a precise, curling, side-foot volley. Then came the killer goal came five minutes from the end from Kalutiyuka. Kalutiyuka had already assisted Kabungu's goal, and this time he went for the net himself, cutting in from the left wing and scoring with a pinpoint low-corner shot at the near post.
This truly shock result highlights two different things, the first being that it is the first time an African side has reached the World Club Cup final, and the second being that it's the first time a European and a South American side won't face each other in the final.
But there could be more shock results to come, European Champions - and favorites to win this competition - Inter Milan will be playing against the Asian Champions Seongnam Ilhwa. Inter Milan hasn't been playing well recently, and if the Asian side knocked Rafa Benitez's side out of the tournament, it would truly be a historic event.
Here are the goals below of the TP Mazembe - Internacional semi-final. Remember to watch the match tomorrow between Seongnam Ilhwa and Inter Milan!
Any player who has a record of 30 goals in 50 Premier League appearances is going to be missed, so it is understandable that Roberto Mancini is calling for his Manchester City players to stand up, and be counted in the absence of Carlos Tevez.
Those following the Live match score centre closely when City are involved will note that they have won just one game without Tevez goal all year – a 2-0 win away at West Brom – and he has scored nearly half of all their goals this season, 10 out of 21.
His goals have blasted City up to fourth in the table and a win at bottom-placed club West Ham on Saturday will see them leapfrog Chelsea into third.
Considering the amount of money spent at the City of Manchester Stadium in recent years, it is surprising to see them rely so heavily on one player. However, thanks to a fifth yellow card of the season picked up against Bolton last week (where he scored the only goal of course), Carlos Tevez will be suspended.
Mario Balotelli will take Tevez's place against West Ham
With fellow striker Emmanuel Adebayor unable to train this week thanks to a groin injury, £25 million striker Mario Bolotelli looks set to step in.
Livescore football pundits note that the controversial 20-year-old striker has yet to really settle since his big money move from Inter Milan in the summer, and was involved in a training ground altercation with team-mate Jerome Boateng earlier this month. However, City assistant boss David Platt believes the Italian is the best finisher at the club and has backed him to do the business against the Hammers.
In the absence of the influential Tevez, it’s Bolotelli’s big chance to prove it. What do you think? Can Manchester City win without Tevez? Comment below!
While there are tons of cool and exciting technological advancements which are coming our way, yet few things seem cooler than AGENT's new soccer ball, the CTRUS. The slogan or theme which goes with this new ball is, "Fair Play is all about Transparency", and it fits very well with this ball, mainly because it's transparent!
The CTRUS has plenty of features, one of which is that it's completely airless! That means it won't lose air, and the pressure will always be perfect with no need for adjustment. Another cool thing about the ball being airless is that altitude won't have an effect on it. While the Jabulani was unpredictable, especially in high altitudes, this ball won't have that degree of unpredictability, sticking to the theme of "transparency".
The CTRUS also boasts the ability to change color thanks to LEDs in the ball, controlled by a CPU (Central Processing Unit, basically a small computer) which utilizes information from a GPS locator and Infra-red positioning indicators. That means a form of goal-line technology! When a team scores a goal, the ball could change and fit the team's colors, and the ball will be able to turn red when it goes out for a throw in, allowing for easier decision making for referees.
The CPU also allows for the CTRUS to properly record the force and speed of a kick! And that's not the only thing, there will be an on-board point-of-view camera (with stabilized image technology) which will allow us to see what the ball sees. If that isn't cool enough, I'm not sure what is...
The CTRUS won the Red Dot Luminary Science award, and has been receiving plenty of attention. This ball certainly seems like something from the future, and a prototype has yet to be made. Yet I have to ask the question, even if it were made and it worked properly and efficiently, would FIFA and UEFA accept it? Sadly, I doubt it, but that doesn't stop me from loving this awesome design, and looking forward to many more interesting things from AGENT.
Here's an awesome video highlighting the amazing things about the CTRUS:
