 Match programme cover | |||||||
| Event | 2011 FIFA Club World Cup | ||||||
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| Date | 18 December 2011 | ||||||
| Venue | International Stadium Yokohama,Yokohama[1] | ||||||
| Referee | Ravshan Irmatov (Uzbekistan)[1] | ||||||
| Attendance | 68,166[1] | ||||||
| Weather | Clear night 9 °C (48 °F) 42%humidity | ||||||
←2010 2012 → | |||||||
The2011 FIFA Club World Cup final was the final match of the2011 FIFA Club World Cup, anassociation football tournament hosted byJapan. It was the eighth final of theFIFA Club World Cup, aFIFA-organized tournament between the winners of the six continental confederations as well as the host nation's league champions.
The final was played betweenCONMEBOL's championSantos andUEFA's championBarcelona.[2][3][4] Barcelona defeated Santos 4–0 and won their secondFIFA Club World Cup, two years after they won their first one in2009.[5]
The match was billed as a showdown between Barcelona forwardLionel Messi and the 19-year-old Santos forwardNeymar, who would later go on to become Messi's teammate at both Barcelona andParis Saint-Germain.[6] Messi won the "duel" by scoring two goals in the final and being named man of the match as well as player of the tournament.[7][8]
 Santos | Team |  Barcelona |
|---|---|---|
| CONMEBOL | Confederation | UEFA |
| Winner of the2011 Copa Libertadores | Qualification | Winner of the2010–11 UEFA Champions League |
| – | Play-off round | – |
| – | Quarter-finals | – |
3–1 Kashiwa Reysol(Neymar  19',Borges 24',Danilo 63') | Semi-finals | 4–0 Al-Sadd(Adriano 25',43',Keita 64',Maxwell 81') |
Barcelona forwardDavid Villa missed the final after he broke his shinbone in the semi-final victory over Al-Sadd.[9] He was injured six minutes before half-time after appearing to land awkwardly; Barcelona announced after the match that he had suffered a "fracture to the tibia in his left leg" that could see him sidelined for four to five months.[10]
In the first half, Barcelona were extremely dominant.[11] Messi andThiago forced saves from Santos goalkeeperRafael Cabral in the 12th minute.[12] Messi then scored with a chip over Cabral in the 17th minute.[12] Seven minutes later,Xavi scored a second with a strike from just inside thepenalty area.[11] Santos came back with a short-range effort byBorges that was saved by Barcelona 'keeperVíctor Valdés, beforeCesc Fàbregas hit the post two minutes later and then scored Barcelona's third goal just before the half ended.[12]
In the second half, Santos improved[7] and teenage star Neymar finally had a chance for Santos in the 57th minute when he was one-on-one with Valdés, but the shot was saved.[12] Barcelona'sDani Alves hit the post in the 79th minute before Messi rounded Rafael in the 82nd minute to cap the scoring with his second goal.[12]
        Santos |      Barcelona |
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Assistant referees: | Match rules[13]
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|    Barcelona players and coaching staff celebrating their win
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| Tournaments | |
| Finals | |
| Squads | |
| Qualification | |
| Statistics | |
