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Dec 16, 2012 at 10.30am UK
 
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Live Commentary: Chelsea 0-1 Corinthians - as it happened

Sports Mole brings you live text commentary from Chelsea's inagurual Club World Cup final against Corinthians.
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Good morning and welcome to Sports Mole's live coverage of the FIFA Club World Cup final between Chelsea and Corinthians.

Chelsea are aiming to win the competition for the first time in their history having reached the final courtesy of a 3-1 win over Mexican side Monterrey in Thursday's semi-final.

Corinthians, meanwhile, won the inaugural competition back in 2000 and will be looking to become only the second team, after Barcelona, to have won this competition twice.

Please note that kickoff is at 10.30am.


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Good morning! Thanks for joining Sports Mole for today's Club World Cup final in Japan, let's get straight down to business!

As noted above, this competition is unknown terrirtory for Chelsea, but manager Rafael Benitez is as experienced as they come in it.

Benitez will become the only man to have managed in three Club World Cup finals today, having previously reached the final with Liverpool in 2005 and Inter Milan in 2010.

Benitez couldn't guide Liverpool to victory, losing 1-0 to Sao Paulo, but Inter beat Congo's TP Mazembe to hand the Spaniard a maiden success in this tournament.

Benitez takes a team into the final that has found its feet in recent weeks, particularly striker Fernando Torres, who has scored five times in his last three games to silence some of his critics.

So, we know all about Chelsea and what they can do, but let's have a little look at their opponents today.

Corinthians have won this competition once before, in 2000, but since then have suffered mixed fortunes. They were relegated into the second division in 2007 following a financial crisis, but bounced back immediately, eventually winning the Championship in 2011 and the Copa Libertadores earlier this year.

Corinthians' history books read like a who's who of Brazilian legends, ranging from Rivelino and Socrates to Ronaldo and Roberto Carlos, but the current crop will be looking to make history of their own today.

Right then, time to bring you some team news I think! David Luiz plays against his hometown club, but he is dropped back into defence despite impressing in midfield against Monterrey. Torres, Mata and Hazard all also start for the Blues.

Chelsea: Cech; Ivanovic, Cahill, D Luiz, Cole; Ramires, Lampard; Moses, Mata, Hazard; Torres

Corinthians: Cassio; Paulo Andre, Fabio Santos, Chicao, Alessandro; Danilo, Paulinho, Ralf, Jorge Henrique; Guerrero, Emerson Sheik

We're 10 minutes from kickoff, which means it's about time for my prediction! Chelsea have hit a good spell of form recently, but Corinthians will definitely not be pushovers and I think it could be a close game. Still, though, I think Chelsea will have enough to see the Brazilians off and win 2-1.

Chelsea boss Rafa Benitez has been speaking ahead of today's match, and here is what he has had to say:

"We will see what happens. If you're in mid-table you can be guaranteed a job at some clubs but this club you must win three or four trophies. You can create something if you have time but you never know how long you have.

"When I decided to come I agreed to sign for six or seven months so I'm thinking only about that time. Football depends on the times. If we're winning the Champions League we are the best in the world.

"I have a good record in finals and Corinthians is a difficult game to play against. Tactically it's not easy to play so you have to trust your players."


Right, the teams are on their way out onto the pitch in Japan. Who can become the world's best club football side?

Chelsea may add heavier significance to this match given their performance in other competitions so far this season. This may be their best chance of silverware!

Benitez will remember Corinthians' Danilo, who was in the Sao Paulo side that beat Liverpool in the 2005 final of this competition.

Great atmosphere in the stadium, overwhelmingly from the Corinthians fans at the moment. They are taking this match very seriously.

We will have a minute's silence before the match in memory of those killed in the tragic shooting in Conneticut.

And we're off!

Chelsea immediately look to attack but Eden Hazard's cross is blocked early on.

Torres's first touch is a heavy one and he is dispossesed, but Chelsea have started the match looking comfortable.

The Corinthian fans are making lots of noise here. They outnumber Chelsea's supporters by probably about 20 to one!

The Brazilians drive into the Chelsea box for the first time thourhg Paulinho, but Ramires sees him out. From the resulting throw Paulinho lines up to shoot but Hazard nips in to steal it off his toes.

Jorge Henrique comfortably deals with a ball towards Ashley Cole. Chelsea have controlled the ball so far but haven't created a goalcoring chance as of yet, partly down to Corinthians' defending. Still very early days though!

Corinthians have conceded a number of fouls in the early stages as they look to disrupt Chelsea rhythm.

Ramires powers through the middle and tries to feed Moses, but his pass is intercepted by Santos, who threatens to break away but sees his pass also cut out.

WHAT A SAVE! The ball comes in from a corner and Corinthians fail to clear it. It falls to Gary Cahill, who gets a good connection but Cassio is down well to make a fantastic save on the line! That's the closest we've come to testing goalline technology at this competition!

Ramires makes a rash challenge but the ref looks desperate not to go into his pocket early on here and the Brazilian gets away with it!

Lampard, captain for the night, is brought down by Emerson in the middle as Chelsea look to build another attack.

The match has turned into a bit of an attritional battle in midfield in the last few minutes which, with the flair players available to both sides, you'd think that neither Chelsea nor Corinthians will want.

Mata gives the ball away carelessly and Corinthians are almost in, but Luiz shows some savvy defending by showing Emerson on the outside and shepherding him out of play. Who said he can't defend?!

Jorge Henrique has a go from 25-yards out at least and it's a dipping strike that Cech has to save, but it's a routine one for the Chelsea keeper.

Corinthians are being given space outside the box to shoot, and Paulinho is the latest to have a go. His effort goes high over the bar, but Chelsea can't afford to give them too many free shots from there.

Cole sends a disguised pass to Hazard, who shows good footwork to jink past Chicao who brings him down right on the edge of the box. Free kick in a very good position...

Luiz stands over it but scuffs it straight into the feet of the wall. Awful free kick which Corinthians fail to break from, but Luiz races back to redeem himself. He almost undersells Cech with a backpass but the keeper gets there to clear it away. Mixed few moments from Luiz there!

We're midway through the half and, while Chelsea have had the better of the match so far, they haven't looked like breaking the Brazilians down.

Moses has the ball on the right but instead of trying to take his full back on he goes for an ambitious effort from a tight angle which is easily blocked. Brazilians aren't renowned for their defensive abilities, maybe he should've taken him on?

Great skill from Guerrero takes him past Cahill and into the box. The striker goes down under the recovery challenge from the England international but the ref waves the penalty claims away. Correct decision, that was a dive.

Some nice play between Cole and Hazard sees the former whip the ball into the box towards Torres, but the Spaniard is given offside. He has been little more than a spectator so far today.

CHANCE! Guerrero tries to feed the ball through to Emerson, but Cahill looks set to intercept. The centre-back lets the ball slide under his foot, however, and Emerson is clean through on goal. The striker lacks composure, however, and balloons it over the bar.

This ref is adamant that he won't give a card today! Ramires is unceremoniously brought down and it would be a yellow in any other league, but not even a talking to for Henrique!

CHANCE! Hazard drifts an inch-perfect ball over the full back to Moses, but his first touch isn't good enough and the defender gets back to clear.

OFF THE POST! Guerrero takes the ball down on his chest and the Chelsea players look scared to touch him in the box. Cahill gets a good block in on his initial shot, but his second is dragged to Emerson at the back post, but he just can't turn it in from a tight angle.

Cole attempts a rare long-range effort after an exchange with Mata, but it dribbles wide. That's why he doesn't do it often!

The three attacking midfielders, Mata, Hazard and Moses are chopping and changing their positions now in an effort to mix up the Corinthians defence.

CHANCE! Lampard lifts a ball over the top to Torres, who produces a magnificent touch before trying to flick a volley past Cassio. His finish didn't match his control but, if it had, that would've been a beautiful goal. Think Dennis Bergkamp vs Argentina, it would've been that good!

GREAT SAVE! Chelsea break away and Moses is sent in down the left this time. He doesn't try and accelerate behind the defence, instead cutting his shoulder and trying to curl it into the far corner but Cassio fingertips it wide at full stretch. Phenomenal save!

Guerrero thinks that he's the ref! He feels as if he is fouled by Luiz so catches the ball, and is penalised for handball! Still no card though!

SAVE! Mata strikes a well controlled half-volley towards goal from 25-yards out, but Cassio gets down well and holds onto the ball. Good strike from the Spaniard.

Chelsea have certainly threatened the Corinthians goal more often in the last few minutes, but Cassio is on form today.

Emerson and Danilo link up very well on the edge of the box but the former dives into a challenge to try and get the ball back. He does, but the ref still blows for a foul. Harsh decision.

Luiz intercepts another ball forward. He has been a rock at the back in this first half, but I still can't help but feeling that there is a mistake in him!

Just the one additional minute in this first half.

HALF TIME: Chelsea 0-0 Corinthians

An interesting half there. Chelsea couldn't break through the Corinthians defence in the opening stages, but tested Cassio a few times towards the end of it. The Brazilian keeper has made a few great saves to keep the scores level.

Corinthians have had chances of their own, most notably through Emerson, but if anyone should be ahead it is Chelsea.

Benitez will be hoping that this match doesn't go the same way as 2005's final in which Liverpool dominated but couldn't find a way past the Sao Paulo keeper.

The spotlight always seems to be on Torres, so let's have a look at his first half performance shall we? He has been fairly quiet so far, save for a fantastic touch and subsequent shot. He needs to get himself into the game more.

It's worth noting that Monterrey won the third place playoff earlier today, beating Al-Ahly 2-0.

What will Rafael Benitez be saying at half time? Well, Chelsea's performance in the second half of that opening 45 minutes was much better and, if they carry on like that, they are likely to find a breakthrough. He will be keen to tidy up some of the rough edges some in the first half, though.

The teams are coming back out ahead of the second half. Will we see any goals in this next 45? I'm sticking by my initial 2-1 prediction!

The second half is underway in Yokohama!

The first attack of the second half comes for Chelsea. Cahill feeds Moses down the right, but his cross is easily cleared.

Emerson goes down under a challenge from Ivanovic and somehow, without any momentum, rolls four times in apparent agony.

Then Guerrero goes under the challenge of Luiz, but the ref is having none of it. That one did look like a foul though!

Half chance for Chelsea as Cole refuses to give up on the ball and cuts it back to Mata, who lays it on to Lampard, but the Corinthians defence rushes out en masse to block his shot.

Enrique threatens to break into the box after Luiz rushed out and got nowhere near the ball, but Ramires tracks across and puts in a perfectly-timed tackle.

Torres tamely loses the ball to a Corinthians defence bemused by the lack of an offside flag. Even the ref had to have a few looks to see if the flag was going up!

CHANCE! Mata threads a fine pass through to Hazard who races through on goal, but Cassio is out quickly to deny the attacking midfielder. Another good save.

BOOKING! We have a booking! I didn't think we'd see one of those today! Jorge Henrique brings down Mata with a cynical challenge and that's the final straw for the ref. Not the worst tackle we've seen today but deserving of a yellow nonetheless.

Hazard floats a ball towards Moses at the back post, and the Chelsea winger wins his header but is penalised for climbing on Santos.

Guerrero bundles his way into the box but never really looks like he has control of the ball. He buys a corner off Cahill, but Chelsea see off the danger.

Torres takes an awkward tumble over the defender when challenging for the ball. No foul but Torres will have felt that one.

Corinthians have shown more attacking intent in this second half but, much like Chelsea at the start of the first, have failed to break down the defence so far.

Moses is caught in possession and Guerrero tries to break, linking up with his full-back to win a corner for his side.

CLOSE! Guerrero lays the ball off to Paulinho, who flashes a venomous shot just wide of Cech's post.

Corinthians are in the ascendency at the moment and Chelsea may have to weather this storm! The crowd is getting louder and louder though!

Torres is easily shrugged off the ball by Danilo, he didn't even seem to try then! He's been back to the Torres we've become more accustomed to in this game: lacking conviction, confidence and composure.

GOAL! Chelsea 0-1 Corinthians (Guerrero)

Corinthians take the lead! Paulinho looks to have taken it too wide in the box, but Edenilson takes over and strikes towards goal. Cahill gets a block in and it loops over Cech. Chelsea have three men on the line, but none of them attack the ball as Guerrero is left to put an unchallenged header beyond all of them. Messy goal, but Corinthians will take it!

BOOKING! Luiz rushes out of defence and Emerson just knocks the ball past him and is taken down. A deserved yellow for the defender.

SUB: Moses comes off for Oscar as Benitez looks to be going for this one. Oscar is a Sao Paulo fan, so will look forward to to facing his club's biggest rivals today.

Half chance for Chelsea as Mata hangs a ball into the box. Torres shows more desire this time and rises highest to win the header, but it goes tamely wide.

Corinthians are knocking the ball about well and Alessandro shows brilliant desire to chase a ball right into the Chelsea corner, eventually forcing Cahill to smash the ball into row Z.

Luiz rushes into another tackle but this time it works out. He loses it straight after, however, and Corinthians' attack only comes to an end when Emerson is flagged for being offside.

Ten minutes left for Chelsea to save this match. Corinthians are now sitting back looking to defend their lead but remember that they are Brazilian so will no doubt look to break in numbers whenever they have the opportunity.

Another Chelsea attack comes to nothing as Torres and Hazard aren't on the same wavelength.

SUB: On comes Azpilicueta for Ivanovic, strange sub for Benitez to make at 1-0 down!

Corinthians are defending solidly, not letting anything through, but still look to break with three at a time whenever they get the ball.

CHANCE! Glorious chance for Torres! The throw is initially missed by the Spanish striker, but the defence fail to clear it and it falls to Torres, unmarked from six yards out, but Cassio comes out quickly and saves his powerful shot. What a chance for the equaliser.

SUBS: Marin comes on in place of Hazard for Chelsea and Emerson comes off for Martinez for Corinthians.

Cassio wins another personal duel with Torres as he beats him to the ball and Torres walks away cutting a disconsolate and frustrated figure.

Another half chance for the Blues as Mata sends a high ball over the defence to Oscar, but the Brazilian's touch is poor with his back to goal and the chance goes.

RED CARD! Gary Cahill

The referee, who has been lenient for the whole game, flashes a red card to Cahill for an off-the-ball incident. Not really sure what happened, and no-one else seems to be either. We'll need to wait for a replay but what a dramatic end to this game!

Four added minutes for the 10 men of Chelsea to get an equaliser.

DISALLOWED GOAL! Torres thinks he's snatched the equaliser when he beats Cassio to the ball and flicks his header in, but the linesman's flag is, correctly, up and the goal is taken away from him! The man can't get a break!

STILL Corinthians break with three at a time! You have to admire their attacking intent, but will it backfire?

The Corinthians subs are celebrating on the sideline. To borrow a famous commentary line, they think it's all over...

It is now!

FULL TIME: Chelsea 0-1 Corinthians

Mata almost squeezed in an equaliser with the last kick of the match, but it came off the post from an impossible angle to ensure that Corinthians picked up the win, and they are delighted!

Corinthians win the FIFA Club World Cup!

Corinthians seemed to want it more than Chelsea today, and you can see by the celebrations how much it means to them! Chelsea certainly had chances to equalise and even win the match but you can't begrudge Corinthians winning this one.

Chelsea captain Frank Lampard believes that his side had "enough chances to at least draw the game".

Still unsure as to why Cahill got sent off, but on his way off the pitch he seemed to gesture to Benitez that it was for a swinging arm. It seems like the only people who didn't miss that one was the two players involved and the linesman!

Right, that's it from me today! Thanks for joining Sports Mole for today's final, and congratulations to Corinthians who are, officially, the best club side in the world!

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Chelsea players celebrate in their Club World Cup semi-final against Monterrey on December 13, 2012
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