Chapter 58: Flames of the Club World Cup

The Club World Cup, officially known as the FIFA Club World Cup, traces its origins to the Toyota Cup. Starting in 1980, the competition initially pitted the Champions League winners against the Copa Libertadores champions, later expanding into an international football tournament featuring top champion clubs from all six continents.

As early as 2000, FIFA held a "nominal" Club World Cup, but the event was discontinued due to sponsorship issues. In 2005, the tournament was revived and hosted in Japan, a tradition that continued for several years. In 2009, the Club World Cup moved to the United Arab Emirates, returning to Japan in 2011. The 2013 and 2014 editions were held in Morocco, and this year, the tournament once again returned to Japan.

Since the tournament’s revival in 2005, Asian teams have not produced particularly brilliant results. The best achievements came between 2007 and 2009, when Urawa Red Diamonds, Gamba Osaka, and South Korea’s Pohang Steelers each finished third. In 2013, Guangzhou Evergrande made their debut in the Club World Cup, finishing fourth.

On December 13, Evergrande faced their first match of the 2015 Club World Cup, taking on the CONCACAF champions, Club América of Mexico, at the Nagai Stadium in Osaka.

This marked Evergrande’s return to the Club World Cup after two years. Under Lippi, the team had finished fourth in 2013. Now, with Cannavaro at the helm, the goal was set even higher, meaning victory in the opening match was essential.

Cannavaro attended the pre-match press conference alongside Zheng Zhi.

“I’m aware the opposition is very strong, with many excellent players. We have some injury problems within the squad, but we’ll do our utmost to play a good game and strive for victory,” Cannavaro said.

Some media speculated that, given Club América’s strength, Cannavaro might deploy all six of his foreign players.

“If you’d like to suggest I play all six foreign players, please try sitting in my seat first,” Cannavaro responded. “At the moment, we’re dealing with injuries to four players. For the first match, we’ll mostly stick with the lineup used in the AFC Champions League final, but two of those players might not be able to play—we’ll have to see how things develop.”

Among those unlikely to feature, one was likely Zeng Cheng, who had just returned to training; the other could have been Zhang Linpeng or Kim Young-gwon.

“Mexican football has some similarities to South American football,” Cannavaro revealed. “They pass well, are technically strong, and have several Mexican internationals. Their technical ability is truly impressive, and they also have many internationals from Colombia, Paraguay, and Argentina. We’re paying close attention and know our opponents well—they tend to press high, so we’ll make targeted arrangements.” Cannavaro scheduled set-piece and penalty practice during recent training sessions.

He also once again praised Chinese football: “Chinese football has made great strides in recent years, but lacks experience, especially in world competitions. Evergrande’s presence on the stages of the AFC Champions League and Club World Cup is precisely the platform for Guangzhou and Chinese football to gain that experience.”

Evergrande’s foreign players were expected to play a decisive role. In an interview, Goulart expressed his hope to face Barcelona’s “MSN” trio and to perform on the big stage of the Club World Cup, aiming to regain the attention of the Brazilian national team.

Before the match, Mexican media and Club América focused their discussions on Dai Zhiwei, Goulart, and Robinho, but seemed to overlook Elkeson, Alan, and Paulinho.

The weather in Osaka had turned cold and was set to rain for several days, but Dai Zhiwei told reporters, “I’ve already adapted to the unpredictable and damp weather in Guangzhou—this is nothing.”

Club América, a century-old traditional powerhouse, had reclaimed the CONCACAF Champions Cup after nine years, standing atop North America for the sixth time and earning the right to compete in the Club World Cup.

In terms of total squad value, Club América was worth 38.1 million euros, 2.2 million less than Evergrande. Sixteen players on Club América’s roster were valued over a million euros, including several Mexican internationals and outstanding players from Argentina and Paraguay. The most valuable and famous was undoubtedly Peralta, who had joined the club last season for a record fee in the Mexican league.

In the 2012 London Olympic final, Peralta scored twice to help Mexico defeat Brazil and win their first Olympic gold. This year, he scored seven goals in the CONCACAF Champions League and four in the Gold Cup, helping both club and country to the top of North America. Additionally, Benedetto, who joined Club América at the start of the year, had become a key player.

Club América’s coach, Ambriz, admitted before the match that he didn’t know much about Evergrande: “We’ve mainly learned about them through match videos, but our knowledge is limited—we trust in our own strength.”

Ambriz continued, “But we respect Evergrande greatly. Their midfield is strong, with Paulinho and Elkeson, and their newly crowned Asian Footballer of the Year, Dai, is excellent as well.”

In this cordial atmosphere, Evergrande faced Club América in their Club World Cup opener.

For Evergrande’s starting lineup, Li Shuai replaced Zeng Cheng in goal; Feng Xiaoting partnered with Kim Young-gwon in central defense, with Zhang Linpeng and Zou Zheng on the flanks. Zheng Zhi, Paulinho, and Huang Bowen anchored the midfield, while Elkeson, Goulart, and Dai Zhiwei formed the attacking trident.

Club América’s lineup:
Goalkeeper: Muñoz
Defenders: Paul Aguilar, Goltz, Pablo Aguilar, Samudio
Midfielders: Andrade, Sambueza, Guerrero
Forwards: Benedetto, Peralta, Quintero

Evergrande’s lineup:
Goalkeeper: Li Shuai
Defenders: Zhang Linpeng, Feng Xiaoting, Kim Young-gwon, Zou Zheng
Midfielders: Zheng Zhi, Paulinho, Huang Bowen
Forwards: Dai Zhiwei, Elkeson, Goulart

“So unfamiliar,” Dai Zhiwei thought, hands on his hips at the center circle. He didn’t recognize a single Club América player—not even a familiar face. His only impressions came from the technical points drilled into him by the coaching staff during recent preparations, but now those seemed almost useless.

The Mexican Liga MX is known for producing prodigies, and its league format is equally unique. Before each season, teams are drawn into three groups of six. The league is divided into the Apertura (opening) and Clausura (closing) tournaments, each a single round-robin.

At season’s end, the top two in each group plus the next best two teams advance to the playoffs, which are played home and away in a knockout format until a champion is crowned.

The top two teams from each Apertura and Clausura who are not already qualified for the CONCACAF Champions League earn spots in that tournament. Excluding those teams, the highest-scoring team in the Apertura (year end) and the top two from the Mexican League Cup qualify for the next year’s Copa Libertadores, while the best two in the Clausura (year start), not already in the CONCACAF Champions League, earn places in the Copa Sudamericana.

Because of this unique system, Club América were not currently in their best form—at least not compared to Evergrande, who had just achieved a domestic double.

Yet, the problem remained: in terms of sheer strength, Asian football was still worlds away from the top level.

From the opening whistle, Club América immediately seized the upper hand. Though Evergrande’s attack—led by Dai Zhiwei, Elkeson, and Goulart—posed a real threat thanks to individual quality, the overall flow of the match was controlled by Club América. Evergrande, forced onto the back foot, struggled to impose their style.

Benedetto received a pass from Sambueza near the edge of the box, advancing along the right sideline and facing Zhang Linpeng’s defense. His footwork was dazzling. Zhang steadied himself, but as he stretched to tackle, the ball flicked ghost-like from Benedetto’s right to left, shaking off Zhang’s challenge before he crossed into the box.

Peralta shed Zheng Zhi’s marking and surged into the heart of Evergrande’s defense. Just as he found space to assess the situation, Benedetto’s pass arrived perfectly at his feet.

Peralta controlled with his right, setting the ball up for his left foot. Kim Young-gwon lunged in to block, but was a step too late.

Fortunately, Li Shuai had anticipated the danger and parried the shot over the bar, keeping the score level once again.

It was “once again” because Li Shuai had already made four saves from shots on target by Club América.

With wave after wave of attacks from Club América, Evergrande’s players became increasingly desperate in their challenges. No one wanted to pick up a yellow card, knowing that defeat would mean no next match.

Before halftime, four Evergrande players, including Zheng Zhi and Zhang Linpeng, had already been booked, a testament to the immense pressure they were under.

“Is this really the gap between us and world football?” Dai Zhiwei wondered in astonishment. He had never seen his team’s defense so battered, at home or in Asia.

Evergrande, conquerors of the world?

How naive that seemed now—truly a frog at the bottom of the well!

And yet, Club América were hardly world-class—perhaps even the leaders of the English Championship could embarrass them!

Nevertheless, despite Evergrande’s defensive struggles, the attacking trio of Dai Zhiwei, Elkeson, and Goulart remained dangerous. At least, Dai Zhiwei felt the Club América defenders couldn’t contain him.

“Alright then! Let me relieve the pressure on our defense with a goal!”