Gremio aim to dethrone Madrid
abu dhabi — The Local Organising Committee (LOC) of the 2017 Fifa Club World Cup in UAE has announced that all preparations for the tournament are complete ahead of Wednesday’s opening game between UAE champions Al Jazira and Auckland City FC at the Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium in Al Ain.
Football fans in the UAE, of course, can’t wait to watch their favourite stars in action.
After all, Cristiano Ronaldo’s Real Madrid will attempt to win their third Fifa Club World Cup title in four years.
But it remains to be seen if the Champions League winners can actually end the tournament with the trophy in their hands in Abu Dhabi.
South American champions Gremio will be desperate to end the European dominance on the Club World Cup. Corinthians, Gremio’s Brazilian rivals, were the last non-European club to win the Club World Cup. They beat Chelsea in the 2012 final in Japan. Brazil’s Gremio will definitely fancy their chances, having won the Copa Libertadores for the third time in their history with a 3-1 aggregate victory in the final against Argentina’s Lanus.
The Brazilian club also lifted the continental trophy in 1983 and 1995.
Lanus, a club from Buenos Aires suburbs, were playing their first final in the tournament’s history.
Gremio’s culture is more of Uruguayan will power than Brazilian flair, but this year they have been a goal machine under coach Renato Portaluppi.
The team had 116 goals this year and hope to extend that run into the Fifa Club World Cup.
As South American champions, Gremio will start that tournament in the semifinal, hoping for a likely final against Champions League winners Real Madrid. The Brazilians showed their goal scoring credentials in the second leg of the Copa Libertadores final in Buenos Aires after a mistake by the Lanus defence. Fernandinho stole the ball in Gremio’s half, ran freely toward Andrada’s goal and ham-
Video technology at Club World Cup in UAE
ABU DHABI — Video Assistant Referee (VAR) will be used in the Fifa Club World Cup in Abu Dhabi, a Fifa press release said.
VAR will be used to support referees when a clear error in a “match-changing” decision should occur. These errors can include serious incidents such as goals, penalty decisions, mered it home from the edge of the box.
In the end of the first half, Gremio doubled their lead when Luan scored one of the best goals of the tournament. direct red cards and cases of mistaken identity.
Video Assistant Referee will be used to officiate matches in both Abu Dhabi and Al Ain. VAR will play a supporting role, along with the assistant referees and the fourth official, but the referee will continue to take the first, as well as the final decision on the field. He dribbled through two Lanus defenders and lobbied the ball gently into the net.
The Brazilian was later chosen the best player in the tournament. “We are going to end europe’s head-to-head record against south america in cWc title race the world in the celebrations,” said Luan, who scored eight goals in the Copa Libertadores and is a frequent name in Brazil’s national team.
Defender and captain Pedro Geromel lifted the trophy for the Brazilians. Coach Portaluppi, who is universally known as Renato Gaucho, was also a star of the Southern Brazilian team in their first South American title. He is now the first Brazilian to win the South American crown both as player and coach.
“I have no words to describe this, we deserved it so much,” a tearful Portaluppi said.
Tens of thousands of fans took to the streets of Porto Alegre in the celebrations.
Despite their defeat, Lanus fans applauded the modest team while Gremio players celebrated.
The celebrations in Porto Alegre could get bigger if Gremio go on to beat Real Madrid in Club World Cup final in Abu Dhabi on December 16.