Chelsea took on Corinthians in the final of the FIFA Club World Cup in Japan this morning looking for their first piece of silverware this season.
The match was the third time that Rafael Benitez had managed in the final of this competition, but Chelsea were making their debut in it, while Corinthians were looking to become only the second team to win their second title.
A second-half strike from Paolo Guerrero was enough to hand them that second title as Chelsea couldn't find a way past Corinthians keeper Cassio.
Here, Sports Mole dissects how Corinthians became officially the best club side in the world.
Match statistics:
Chelsea:
Shots 14
On target 9
Possession 50%
Corners 2
Fouls 13
Corinthians:
Shots 10
On target 4
Possession 50%
Corners 4
Fouls 14
Was the result fair?
You certainly can't begrudge Corinthians for their win, but Chelsea will feel that they created enough chances to at least draw the match. It was a game of two halves, with Chelsea edging the first and Corinthians the second, so a draw and extra time probably would have been the fairest result, but it was the sort of game where any result could be justified.
Chelsea's performance
Chelsea were certainly on top in the first half, threatening the Corinthians goal on a number of occasions towards the end of the half, but they were outplayed by the Brazilians in the second. A number of their players were far from their best, notably Eden Hazard, Juan Mata and Fernando Torres, but they will be upset at missing a number of gilt-edge chances.
Corinthians' performance
A spirited, perhaps un-Brazilian performance from Corinthians. There were flashes of the usual flair and skill associated with their teams, but overall what won them the match were great goalkeeping, dogged defending and an industrial performance from their front two.
Sports Mole's man of the match
Cassio: The Corinthians keeper made a string of stunning saves throughout the match and, without him on top form, Chelsea may well have won the game. His stops from Gary Cahill, Victor Moses and Torres were world-class, and he deserved his award as the player of the tournament.
Referee performance
It was quite a strange performance from Cuneyt Cakir. He was lenient to the extreme in the first half, seemingly unwilling to spoil the game with numerous yellow cards, but there were times when the players deserved the booking and he didn't give it. He flashed a few cards in the second half and finished it off by showing Gary Cahill a red in the closing stages, although it looked as if he was going on the word of his assistant for that one.
What next?
Chelsea: It's back to reality for Chelsea as they go from being one match away from being crowned the best club side in the world to an away trip against Championship side Leeds United in the final League Cup quarter-final on Wednesday.
Corinthians: Corinthians will not play again this year as their domestic season finished before the Club World Cup. However, they get their Paulista A1 campaign underway on January 20.
Barney Corkhill
