Liverpool are the 2019 Club World Cup champions following a 1-0 victory over Flamengo on Saturday.
After a thoroughly entertaining contest at Doha’s Khalifa International Stadium, it was Roberto Firmino’s 99th minute strike which ultimately clinched the trophy for the European champions.
It is the first time in Liverpool’s 127 year history that they have been crowned world champions, and they become only the second English club to win the competition.
Liverpool had a great chance to open the scoring after just 40 seconds when Roberto Firmino found himself in on goal, but the Brazilian could only lift his effort over the crossbar.
But Flamengo recovered well from the early scare and might have broke the deadlock after 32 minutes if Gabriel Barbosa hadn’t scuffed his shot at the end of a lovely move.
Firmino then missed another great chance to score at the start of the second half when his scuffed shot hit the inside of the post, before Alisson made a superb save to deny Gabigol at the other end.
The two sides continued trading blows and then in injury time of normal time, the Reds thought they’d been given a golden opportunity to win the trophy when Sadio Mané was brought down by Rafinha and referee Abdulrahman Al Jassim pointed to the penalty spot.
But after a lengthy consultation with the pitch-side VAR monitor, Al Jassim eventually decided that no foul had actually been made and the game went to extra-time.
And just under 10 minutes into the first half of extra-time, Firmino finally got his goal.
A ball over the top found Mané who held the ball up well before laying it off to his strike partner and after rounding the goalkeeper, Firmino found the net.
Liverpool went close to scoring again through both Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk, while Lincoln missed a great late chance to equalise for Flamengo, but 1-0 was how it finished.
