World Club Final’s Real important to Madrid
REAL MADRID manager Zinedine Zidane believes that winning the FIFA Club World Cup final today against Japanese side Kashima Antlers in Yokohama is “of the utmost importance”.
Madrid beat Club America 2-0 in the semis thanks to goals from Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema as they go in hunt of a second World crown in three years following their success in 2014.
The Spanish giants are only without the injured Gareth Bale, who scored twice in the competition two years ago – including one in the final.
The odds are in the favour of the Champions League holders, with European clubs losing just once in the last 19 fixtures, although Kashima have already made history by becoming the first Asian team to reach the final.
The J. League Championship winners produced a shock 3-0 defeat of South American representatives Atletico Nacional in their semi.
No European club has conceded a goal since Chelsea’s 1-0 defeat to Corinthians in the 2012 final, but Zidane is wary of the Japanese opponents.
The Madrid boss said: “We’ve come to Japan to try and win it and we’re going to do our best.
“We’ll need to play good football, do what we know. It will be a difficult game; Kashima will make it difficult for us but we’re ready.
“Maybe in the first game we weren’t our usual selves because of the travel, the adaptation to new training, the pitch.
“The win against Club America was tough, but we’re ready to play the final.”
Madrid captain Sergio Ramos bagged the opener when the Spaniards beat San Lorenzo 2-0 to claim the 2014 title and is keen to lift the trophy once again.
Victory would also extend Madrid’s club record 36-game unbeaten run in all competitions, having not been on the receiving end of a defeat since the 2-0 reversal at Wolfsburg in the Champions League quarterfinal first leg back in April.
He said: “Whenever there’s a chance of winning a title it’s a new experience and despite having won a lot I reset every year and start from scratch.
“As skipper it would be me lifting the trophy and that’s something I’m very proud of.
“It’s a dream every time I imagine myself hoisting up a trophy. After coming all this way we want to win the trophy.”
Seven days ago the England striker was the hero as his first Leicester hat-trick inspired the English champions’ highly i mpressive hammering of Manchester City.
But yesterday Vardy was brought crashing back down to earth as he was shown a straight red in the 29th minute of a crazy afternoon at Stoke City.
Referee Craig Pawson was slammed in midweek for failing to dismiss Man Utd defender Marcos Rojo for his two-footed lunge at Crystal Palace’s Wilfried Zaha.
Hard to imagine that was not in the Yorkshireman’s mind when he saw Vardy leave the ground attempting to win a loose ball from Mame Diouf.
With the aid of a video replay it was a 50-50 call but still one the official will probably feel he got right.
But Foxes boss Claudio Ranieri was clearly not convinced.
He said: “It was a great performance all round because the match changed with the sending off. Mark Hughes says it was a red card, I say it was not. But it’s up to the referee.
“My players got nervous after that – and then we totally lost our shape and calmness after the penalty.
“That’s why I went on the pitch at half-time to show my players and the fans I was still with them.”
Stoke’s penalty was certainly controversial and broke the deadlock six minutes before half-time.
Danny Simpson will claim he did not deliberately handle Bojan’s cross – yet replays indicated the defender’s arm was in an unnatural position above his head.
If the fast-disappearing festive spirit in the Leicester ranks was understandable, their total meltdown for the rest of the first half was utterly ridiculous.
Poor Pawson was forced to wave FIVE yellow cards at the fuming Foxes in just NINE minutes.
Normally Ranieri is a picture of calm amid such wild scenes. Not yesterday.
Just how he was allowed back on the touchline after the break defied belief given the way he lost his rag while confronting Pawson at the half-time whistle.
He had to be dragged away by keeper Kasper Schmeichel as an already highly explosive situation threatened to completely boil over.
Ranieri added: “What I said to the referee is not important but I told my players we had to calm down and be focused on the game.
“We were fantastic in the second half.
“That was amazing. I want to thank my players – and the fans for staying with us.”
Whatever words he delivered, they ignited one of the most unlikely fightbacks you will see as Leicester scored twice in the final 16 minutes.
It was enough to earn only their second away point in nine games.
As for Stoke boss Mark Hughes, he was left wondering how his Potters had failed to grab a first top-flight win over their Midlands rivals in 36 years.
Instead, Stoke had to settle for a second home draw in four days after blowing a two-goal lead. Jonathan Wal- ters nearly gave Stoke the perfect start after four minutes before Ryan Shawcross was narrowly denied by Robert Huth.
Those cl ose s c ares drew an immediate response from Ranieri’s troops.
However, just as the Foxes were gathering momentum, Vardy’s dismissal changed everything.
What referee Pawson made of his decision after watching it on Match of the Day last night we will never know.
A bit rash maybe but so was Vardy’s lunge.
Every bit as debatable was the penalty he awarded when Simpson stopped Bojan clipping a ball into the danger area.
Whatever the rights and wrongs, though, Bojan did not give a jot as he sent Schmeichel the wrong way for his third goal of the season.
When Joe Allen tapped into an open goal three minutes into time added on, the Foxes looked dead and buried.
But the c h a mpions were a different side after the break but even when sub Leonardo Ulloa reduced the deficit with a 78th- minute header, it still appeared too little too late.
Yet that was to discount Christian Fuchs crossing for Daniel Amartey to nod home the equaliser two minutes from time.
Hughes, whose side earned a point at home to Southampton in midweek with only 10 men, said: “We are left scratching heads. We drew in midweek and it felt like a win. Now we draw and it feels like a loss.
“The sending off changed the game – firstly for them in a negative way.
“We merited our two goals but clearly there was going to be a response from them because they had nothing to lose.
“For a while we dealt with it but we then became apprehensive.”