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Jacob Steinberg's match report
“It’s interesting that you mention how great Mount’s hair is”, emails Gerry in NYC. “I agree (and, being bald, really couldn’t call anyone out for lacking in this area anyway), but I have noticed that his recent performances being a bit off have coincided with him moving to a more feathered, almost 80s-ish hairstyle. I think the hairspray might be weighing him down!”
Chelsea were expected to romp past the Saudi side, but made tough work of this 1-0 win. Romelu Lukaku’s first-half goal was fortuitous, bouncing off Al-Shahrani’s hip, and the Blues were kept in the game in the second half by a series of sublime Kepa saves. One in particular, from a long-range Kanno shot, was ridiculous.
“Chelsea looked tired,” says Jimmy Floyd-Hasselbaink in the E4 (!) studio, and it’s hard to disagree with that.
Full-time: Al-Hilal 0-1 Chelsea
Chelsea are through to the final of the Club World Cup. A wholly unconvincing display, and the other finalists, Brazilian side Palmeiras, will be licking their lips at that Chelsea performance.
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90+2 min: Kepa is time wasting, which shows the nervousness with which Chelsea are approaching these final minutes.
90 min: A real clash of heavyweights as Rudiger comes together with Marega, with the German coming out on top. Not for the first time tonight. Three minutes added on here.
88 min: Chelsea make their final change: Sarr on for Alonso.
86 min: This has been a poor half from Chelsea, but they have at least wrestled back possession in these last five minutes or so. Al-Hilal’s subs haven’t quite had the right impact. They seem to be lacking in shape.
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84 min: Not quite sure what the reasoning is in playing Mount on the right wing. The England midfielder is so much better in a central No 10 role, and he’s had a torrid time since coming on. Hudson-Odoi would have been a much more natural choice, but it’s hard to know if that is Tuchel’s choice or Low.
82 min: Two yellow cards to mention, one for each side. Kovacic is penalised for a late challenge inside Al-Hilal’s box, before Al-Bulayhi also goes into the book.
80 min: Ten minutes left, and Al-Hilal go for broke. Two attacking substitutions, Carrillo is a real threat on the right.
2 Subs 🔁 81’
— AlHilal Saudi Club (@Alhilal_EN) February 9, 2022
Salem 🔽 - 🔼 Carrillo
Pereira 🔽 - 🔼 Michael #AlHilal #AlHilal_Chelsea ⚽️ pic.twitter.com/TQFnu72Csu
78 min: Chelsea break, and Lukuku beats the offside track. He’s in … but a heavy touch allows Jang to recover. Lukaku chooses to check his run, and wait for support. He lays the ball back to Mount, but Kanno gets a crucial block to keep the score at 1-0!
76 min: Ighalo gets beyond Thiago Silva, and goes down, but the referee isn’t interested. Furious protests from the former Watford man.
74 min: Mount really does have a lovely head of hair.
72 min: That’s a much-needed change for Chelsea, who have really let this game slip. Another chance comes for Al-Hilal, with Jang heading just wide from a corner. Thiago Silva looks around, bereft.
70 min: Ziyech goes down in a crumpled heap, hoping for a free-kick but to no avail. Al Bulayhi tries to drag the Moroccan up by his shirt, and Ziyech responds angrily, confronting the defender. Ziyech has a frustrating second half and he’s substituted for Mason Mount.
67 min: A double chance for Al-Hilal. The Saudi club are really motoring now! Marega bullies his way down the right wing, cuts the ball back to Ighalo. The Nigerian has his goalbound shot blocked, but the rebound falls to Kanno, who sends a swirling effort just inside the post, but Kepa dives across to make a wonderful one-handed save! Wow, sensational stuff from the Spaniard. Chelsea are clinging on here a bit!
64 min: A very professional foul from Cuellar, who stops Havertz in his tracks in midfield. Yellow card for the Colombian.
61 min: Golden chance for Marega, but Kepa rushes out to make a magnificent save. Matheus Pereira, who has really come alive this second half, slips a beautifully weighted pass down the side of Chelsea’s defence and Marega races onto it, steadies himself but sees a low shot saved by Kepa. That’s brilliant from the keeper, who has had almost nothing to do all game, but kept his concentration to quash the danger.
59 min: Ziyech fizzes a volley towards the top corner after a nice lay-off from Lukaku, but Almuaiouf makes a quality save to his right, getting both hands to the ball, and collecting the rebound.
57 min: Ighalo with his first sight of goal! Matheus Pereira finds a pocket of space in midfield and feeds the Nigerian, but Thiago Silva makes a great block to keep Ighalo’s shot out.
54 min: Penalty shout for Chelsea, as Christensen goes down after a fairly obvious pull-back in the box from Cuellar in the Al-Hilal box. The referee doesn’t spot it!
52 min: Kante looking a little rusty, it has to be said. A couple of passes have gone astray since the Frenchman came on at half-time. Very uncharacteristic.
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50 min: Al-Hilal with their best period of possession in the game, with Kanno finishing the move with a powerful drive, just a yard or two over Kepa’s bar.
48 min: Havertz hits the post! The German flies down the left wing, holding off Al-Burayk with ease, and dribbles all the way to the six-yard box. Havertz’s touch is a little heavy but he manages to dink the ball over the keeper, only for the ball to hit the outside of the post, and bounce clear! It was an acute angle, in fairness.
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Peeeeeeep! The players are back out. One change for Chelsea: Jorginho has been replaced by Kanté. It’s not clear if that is because of an injury or a tactical switch. Regardless, it’s a straight swap.
Half-time reading, here’s the Fiver, fresh out of the oven.
Half-time: Al-Hilal 0-1 Chelsea
It’s 1-0 but could be so much more. Concerning for Chelsea that Thiago Silva finishes the first half on the ground, rubbing his knee. The Blues will hope that is not a serious knock. He’s so vital to that defence.
45 min: Al-Hilal have a promising free-kick on the edge of Chelsea’s box, but they take it short, and Salem squirts a harmless shot towards Kepa. At least the Spaniard has made a save now!
42 min: Have been really disappointed with Matheus Pereira, Salem and Kanno, who all shone brightly in the 6-1 win over Al Jazira. The first half has just passed them by.
40 min: Really good hold-up play from Lukuku, who collects a lofted pass from deep, holds off Jang, and lays a perfect pass off for Ziyech, who has two shots blocked inside the box. Lukaku was actually marginally offside as the ball was played in, but the Belgian is purring at the moment, and has the Al-Hilal defence on skates.
38 min: Jorginho is a lucky boy, given a soft free kick, just as Marega was streaming away on the counter attack.
35 min: The first real bit of incision from Al-Hilal, as Al-Shahrani plays a deft flick to release Salem on the left wing. Salem cuts inside but blasts his effort high and wide from the top of the box. Better, though, from the Saudi Arabian side.
33 min: How will Al-Hilal respond? Kepa is yet to make a save in the Chelsea goal.
GOAL! Al Hilal 0-1 Chelsea (Lukaku 31)
Havertz bursts to the byline, and gets his cross in at the second time of asking. The ball bounces off Yasir Gharsan Al-Shahrani’s hip and lands kindly for Lukaku, four yards out. The Belgian makes no mistake, sweeping the loose ball into the net. An understated celebration for his first goal in a month.
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27 min: Feels like this is only a matter of time for Chelsea.
25 min: It’s been a frustrating half so far for Lukaku, but you can see the Al-Hilal defenders are scared of the Belgian. Lukaku is fed a pass by Kovacic, and the striker shrugs off the attention of Ali Al-Bulaihi before unleashing a fierce drive, that is straight at Abdullah Al-Mayouf in the Al-Hilal goal.
23 min: Fifa’s president, Giovanni Infantino, is here, apparently walled into his hospitality area by a barricade of sponsored mineral water.
20 min: Another chance goes begging for Chelsea! Havertz stands a perfect cross to the back post, Azpilicueta arrives and could easily volley it goalwards but instead cushions a touch back towards the penalty spot, crucially behind Lukaku, who was bursting into the box. Are Chelsea being too reserved in committing numbers forward? There doesn’t seem to be a natural No 8, with the double pivot of Jorginho and Kovacic.
17 min: A bad miss from Lukaku! Azpilicueta swings a low cross in, and Lukaku is first to it at the near post, but doesn’t get any touch whatsoever, and the ball rolls harmlessly across Al-Hilal’s six-yard box.
14 min: Al-Hilal break on the counter-attack! Chelsea are caught short, as Matheus Pereira finds some room on the left wing, switching play to Marega. Marcos Alonso completely misses his clearing header, and the ball rolls over Marega’s boot! He was in!
12 min: Kovacic is a little lucky to avoid a caution after a nasty challenge on Ighalo. Should really be a yellow card, that, and Jardim lets the fourth official know his thoughts on the sidelines.
10 min: Ziyech is the latest to let fly, from the top of the D, but this one fizzes a yard over! Chelsea are getting closer. The Moroccan should really have hit the target, it fell so nicely onto his favoured left foot.
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8 min: Thiago Silva lashes a long-range effort from 30 yards but it skews wide.
7 min: Al-Hilal have lined up in a 4-2-3-1 with Ighalo leading the line. Chelsea’s 3-4-3 is the formation Tuchel tends to favour, particularly in the Champions League.
5 min: Al-Hilal’s defence, led by South Korean centre back Jang Hyun-soo, are playing an awfully high line here. It’s a dangerous game, with Lukaku and Havertz both looking to get in behind.
4 min: Around 1,000 hardy souls have made the journey to Abu Dhabi from London. They are being drowned out by the Al-Hilal support though.
1 min: A nervy start for Chelsea, as Kovacic loses his footing at the base of midfield. Matheus Pereira pounces and Ighalo has plenty of time to steady himself for a shot on the edge of the box, but drags his shot badly wide, when he had options outside him! He holds his hands up in apology.
Peeeeeeeep! And we’re off.
The teams are out! Chelsea will kick off, with Romelu Lukaku leading the line.
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This tournament is acting as a test event for Robo VAR, which should be in use by the World Cup at the end of the year, and in domestic leagues by 2023-24. Decisions should be almost instant, by using 12 separate cameras making for a better experience for everyone. More details here.
I've told you all about this for a long time, now see it in action.
— Dale Johnson (@DaleJohnsonESPN) February 4, 2022
Semi-automated VAR has take off at the Club World Cup.
It's a vast improvement with:
- Quick decision-making
- Superior Hawk-Eye visualisation
READ: https://t.co/IBTSkVRSp3pic.twitter.com/tTwPnniK7a
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Riyadh is less than a two-hour flight to Abu Dhabi, so it’s no surprise to see Al-Hilal supporters out in full force.
Both teams play in royal blue normally, and as the designated away team, it will be Chelsea sporting their changed yellow strip.
Petr Cech, Chelsea’s current technical and performance advisor, and goalkeeper in the 2021 final, has been talking pitchside in Abu Dhabi:
It is a memory that is a it of a regret. Back in 2012 we had the expectations to come back with the trophy but we missed some chances. We had to wait another 10 years.
First-team coach Zsolt Low, deputising for Tuchel due to the German testing positive for Covid, has been full of praise for Cech in the build-up to today’s match.
He’s an amazing guy and supports us very well in these days. Petr is all the time with us. He has a very good feeling for when we need him, when we don’t need him. When we need him he will always step up, but he doesn’t want to disturb us all the time and be part of every discussion and every meeting. He’s given us a lot of support and we’re very happy that he’s with us.
Worth mentioning that the last time Matheus Pereira faced Chelsea, he scored two and provided two assists in a sensational 5-2 for West Brom last year at Stamford Bridge …
The teams!
Al Hilal: Al-Maiouf, Al-Shahrani, Jang, Al-Breik, Al-Bulayhi, Cuellar, Marega,Kanno, Matheus Pereira, Salem Al-Dawsari, Ighalo.
Subs: Al-Owais, Al-Jadaani, Jahfali, Al-Obaid, Al-Mufarrij, Abdulhamid, Al-Yami, Carrillo, Al-Shehri, Michael, Al-Juwayr.
Chelsea: Arrizabalaga, Thiago Silva, Rudiger, Christensen, Azpilicueta, Alonso, Kovacic, Jorginho, Lukaku, Ziyech, Havertz.
Subs: Bettinelli, Mendy, Sarr, Chalobah, Barkley, Saul, Kante, Kenedy, Pulisic, Mount, Werner, Hudson-Odoi.
Preamble
Defeat in the 2012 Club World Cup final still smarts for César Azpilicueta. Chelsea, crowned Champions League winners just a few months earlier, were confident of securing a sixth successive triumph for a European side, but South American champions Corinthians upset the odds to win 1-0, thanks to a brilliant performance from Paulinho in midfield, a goal from Peruvian striker Paolo Guerrero and some sublime goalkeeping from Cássio Ramos, with Chelsea having a Fernando Torres goal disallowed, shortly after Gary Cahill was sent off.
Azpilicueta, who joined Chelsea earlier that season and is now approaching a decade at the club, winced as he was reminded of that defeat this week. It remains the only trophy he is yet to win with the Blues.
It’s very difficult to be in this tournament, after 10 years you realise how difficult. Hopefully the experience will help us in this tournament. I’m really motivated. In 2012 it hurt a lot and it’s the only competition the club hasn’t won. To win it first time for the club is huge, we have to make it everything for us. We’re representing Europe; we know it’s going to be difficult.
A place in the final against Brazilian side Palmeiras is at stake, with Saudi Arabia’s Al-Hilal Chelsea’s semi-final opponents today. Al-Hilal enjoyed the biggest win in Club World Cup history as they beat Al Jazira 6-1 on Monday to reach this stage, with Odion Ighalo (formerly of Watford and Manchester United), Matheus Pereira (formerly of West Brom), Peruvian André Carrillo and powerful striker Moussa Marega (formerly of Porto) all getting on the scoresheet.
They are tricky opponents, led by former Monaco manager Leonardo Jardim, but just two days rest since the last round will benefit Chelsea. The Londoners have, however, travelled to Abu Dhabi without Thomas Tuchel, who is still in quarantine after testing positive for Covid-19 last Friday. The manager could join up with the squad on Friday if he tests negative.
Kick off is at 4.30pm GMT, or 8.30pm if you happen to be in Abu Dhabi.
