TOKYO, 14 December 2006 — Teenagers Pato Alexandre and Luiz Adriano sparked Brazil’s Internacional to a 2-1 win over Al-Ahly of Egypt yesterday in their Club World Cup semifinal.
The South American champions now face either Barcelona or Mexico’s America in Sunday’s final in Yokohama.
“We were nervous — it was the biggest game in the club’s 99-year history,” Inter coach Abel Braga told reporters. “It was our first game and half the players were below par.
“Our opponents hit the post and their equalizing goal came out of the blue. Maybe fortune favored us today.” Inter gave prodigious 17-year-old Alexandre, fast gaining fame under his nickname Alex the Duck, only his second start for the club following an astonishing 57-minute debut last month.
Alexandre had scored with his first touch in a 4-1 win at Palmeiras and he had the ball in the back of the net after eight minutes in Tokyo only for his header to be ruled offside. His next chance in the 23rd minute did count, however, Alexandre firing a clinical right-foot shot into the bottom corner after the ball broke kindly for him on the edge of the box.
Ahli, who beat New Zealand’s Auckland City 2-0 in their opening game on Sunday, almost pulled it back when striker Mohamed Aboutrika fired against the post seven minutes before halftime.
However, the African champions stunned Internacional in the 54th minute when Angola striker Flavio produced a superb glancing header to score his second goal of the competition.
Alexandre’s involvement ended prematurely when he was taken off on a stretcher clutching his ankle in the 64th minute.
His replacement, Adriano, made an impact just eight minutes after coming on, the 19-year-old bursting toward the near post to head Ceara’s corner in off the woodwork for his first goal for the club. “Their first goal was lucky and we made a defensive mistake for their second,” Al Ahli coach Manuel Jose said. “Brazil is the most advanced footballing country in the world. “You can’t compare Brazilian football and Egyptian football. We showed character but we were a bit tactically naive.” The Club World Cup involves the world’s six continental champions. Brazil’s Sao Paulo edged out Liverpool 1-0 in last year’s final to win the first edition of the revamped FIFA tournament.
Dinamo Coach Pockets Title
Bonus With 15 Matches to Play
In Bucharest, Dinamo Bucharest coach Mircea Rednic was rewarded with a bonus for winning the Romanian League title yesterday — with 15 matches still to play before the end of the season.
Dinamo have won 17, drawn one and lost one of their 19 league matches and have 52 points — 13 more than second-placed Steaua Bucharest and 16 ahead of Rapid Bucharest and Cluj who are both on 36 points. They have also qualified for the last 32 of the UEFA Cup and play their final Group B match at Tottenham Hotspur today.
“My day started happily after Dinamo board decided to give me half of the $100,000 promised bonus for winning the title,” Rednic told Reuters yesterday.
Including UEFA Cup and Romanian Cup matches, Dinamo have won 25 of the 30 matches they have played this season.
The remaining 15 league matches will be played when the Romanian League re-starts on March 3 after its mid-winter break.
In the unlikely event that Dinamo do not win the title, Rednic will still keep the money.
“I’ve told the major shareholders that I’m investing it all as soon as I can — it won’t be possible to return it,” he explained.
