Roberto Firmino fires Liverpool to Club World Cup win
December 21, 2019Liverpool 1-0 Flamengo (AET)
(Firmino 99')
It may not be regarded by everyone with the same prestige as the Champions League but Jürgen Klopp said before this win in Doha that lifting the Club World Cup would be "really special".
As the German boss celebrated with his players after the whistle blew on 120 tense minutes, it looked very much like he meant it.
Victory was sealed when Roberto Firmino, like Klopp a Bundesliga alumnus after a spell at Hoffenheim, collected a pass from Sadio Mane, sent the keeper to ground and stroked home.
The Brazilian striker had been guilty of missing some presentable chances at the start of each half of normal time and struck a post but kept his cool as the South American champions struggled to keep pace in the extra half hour.
The Premier League side's other Brazilian, goalkeeper Alisson, was also busy as Flamengo created plenty of chances of their own, including a big one skied by Lincoln in the dying seconds.
Klopp's men briefly thought they'd opened the scoring when Mo Salah beat the keeper on 77 minutes but the Egyptian was offside. Then, in injury time, the referee awarded the English side a penalty only for the VAR to overturn it.
But there was no such reprieve for the Brazilian side when Firmino lashed home the winner and there'll soon be a new trophy in the Anfield cabinet. Could there be another come May?