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    Fifa’s new Club World Cup is just a reheated European Super League but at least it’s some rare good news for Chelsea

    IT hasn’t all been bad news for Chelsea recently because they have already been awarded a place in the hugely expanded Club World Cup in 2025.This will enrich them by at least £25million and while that may be small change for them, it is still — as Del Boy would have put it — “a nice little earner”.
    Gianni Infantino has been heavily criticised during his time as Fifa presidentCredit: Getty
    Karren Brady has had her say on the newly-reformed Club World CupCredit: Getty
    But how come Chelsea have learned this week that they are already in the soon-to-be bloated competition?
    Manchester City are set to join them and based on a coefficient of European performance over the previous five years, Liverpool and Manchester United are in the running.
    And that’s about the lot unless one of the other Premier League teams wins the Champions League up to 2024. That would bring the total to the maximum allocation of four.
    The rest of us can go howl into the wind.
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    Europe has 12 places in all, so Real Madrid are definitely in while Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich could practically book flights now. The other 20 spots are shared by the other continents.
    There is a proviso to all speculation.
    Clubs probably have an option to say “no thanks”. Even the self-sanctified Gianni Infantino is not God, although I think he thinks he is, creating his own Laws for Planetary Football Domination — which appears to be a calculated mess.
    Many political plans are, of course, but this one is a re-heating of the European Super League that set supporters ablaze at the cash-power grab by six English clubs and a coterie of the continent’s rich.
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    The reaction sent most of the dirty dozen scurrying. Within days the ESL was dead — or “passed” as our newly-desensitised language puts it.
    Infantino was lurking, though.
    Evidently, he shares ideas about the have-a-lots and the have-less and so World Cup plans reintroduce the Rich Laws which in the case of the Premier League favours those with a recent history of successful super-high spending against those attempting to achieve greatness.
    So, Chelsea, Man City and the others involved in the ESL are the ones who will be blessed with entry into Fifa’s brushed-up club competition.
    Designed to undermine Uefa and, more importantly, to enhance Fifa’s already massive earnings, its formula reaches across the oceans to continents of lesser means.
    On paper, the idea is appealing.
    In practice it expands football to bursting point, pressing players into never-ending employment as if exhaustion and injury were no problem.
    Another summer’s intense competition added to a calendar already dog-eared with fixtures is to flog Grade A players into dog-tired troupers.
    The 32-team competition itself will have five rounds so that finalists could be in the US — favourite to be hosts pre-the World Cup itself in North America — for over three weeks which, if you factor in club pre-season tours, would leave a minimal time to holiday at the usual favoured resting sites: beaches, bars or in Dubai.
    With the exception of one-time winners Chelsea, the existence or at least the credibility of the present seven-team Club World Cup has all the relevance of Red Riding Hood. It is fairly harmless.
    But its successor?
    As a spokesman for LaLiga said: “Fifa continues its malpractice of making unilateral decisions on the world football calendar, showing complete disregard for the importance of national championships and the football community in general.
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    “Fifa completely neglects the economic damage these decisions inflict on leagues around the world.”
    I could not have put it better myself. More

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    Club World Cup format is currently failing, as European giants like Real Madrid dominate and South Americans struggle

    A LITTLE more than 23 years have passed since Manchester United flew to Brazil to take part in FIFA’s first attempt to organise a Club World Cup.As that competition came to an end, then FIFA president Sepp Blatter gave his verdict; if the tournament was to thrive, he said, then it would have to take up more time, and the Europeans would have to show more solidarity.
    Karim Benzema of Real Madrid lifts the Club World Cup trophy
    The reverse has happened. The Club World Cup was relaunched in 2005 on a basis meant to inconvenience the Europeans as little as possible.
    That inaugural version back in 2000 had eight teams in two groups of four, with the group winners meeting in a final. The teams, then, were playing at least three games, with the finalists playing four.
    The versions  that have come afterwards are pure knock out, with the Europeans and South Americans coming in at the semi final stage, and only playing two games.
    The objective seems to be to get the thing over and done with as soon as possible so that the Europeans can get back to the football that they care about.
    read more Tim Vickery
    It is easy to understand the thinking behind this. Year after year the Club World Cup shows the distance between Europe and the rest of the planet.
    There have been three South American victories; Brazilian sides won in 2005, 2006 and 2012 – all 1-0 wins achieved with a combination of deep defence and the occasional counter attack.
    It would seem to be the only way they can win – and they have not come close in the last decade.
    This is extremely painful for South America. If Europe treats the Club World Cup with disinterest, the same is emphatically not true on the other side of the Atlantic.
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    For a South American team it is the most important date in the club calendar, the dream that is nurtured for months.
    Fans make extraordinary sacrifices to follow their team to the competition, and those who can’t go will often make a point of seeing them off at the airport.
    There is a strong memory of the time – until the turn of the century – when there was no gap between the best of Europe and South America’s finest.
    Every year there is the hope that these times might be coming back – until the pitch reveals its painful truth.
    This year Real Madrid beat Al Hilal of Saudi Arabia in the final. The Saudis had previously eliminated Rio de Janeiro giants Flamengo, the South American champions.
    It is the sixth time since 2005 that the South Americans have lost in the semi final – an event which is becoming increasingly frequent. It is becoming harder to justify the status that the South American champions are given.
    Why should they come straight in at the semi final stage if the evidence points to the conclusion that they are no longer automatically superior to the champions of Asia, Africa or North America?
    The issue of the Club World Cup is likely to become more explosive in the next few years. FIFA acknowledge that the current format has not been a success.
    From 2025 they plan to replace it with a new expanded competition, probably to be held every four years. The idea is to gather 32 teams from around the world and play a proper tournament.
    Last South American triumph at the Club World Cup came in 2012Credit: Reuters
    Sepp Blatter believed the Club World Cup needs more time in a bigger formatCredit: AFP
    This, as Sepp Blatter pointed out all those years ago, needs more time – and finding it will not be easy in an already over-cluttered calendar.
    Read More on The Sun
    And it also needs the cooperation of the Europeans, who at this stage seem dead set against the idea, fearing that the aim is to encroach on the success of the Champions League.
    There is huge potential for conflict here. Many in Europe have not been paying much attention to the Club World Cup. They might end up having to pay attention to an issue that could even lead to a split in FIFA. More

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    Real Madrid 5 Al Hilal 3: Vinicius Jr and Valverde fire Los Blancos to Club World Cup despite Fulham flop’s best efforts

    REAL MADRID have won the Club World Cup after beating Al-Hilal 5-3 in an entertaining final.The Champions League holders claimed the title thanks to braces from Fede Valverde and Vinicius Jr and one from Karim Benzema.
    Vinicius Jr opened the scoring in the 13th minuteCredit: Getty
    Fede Valverde doubled Real Madrid’s advantageCredit: Getty
    Karim Benzema added a third for the Spanish championsCredit: Getty
    The 2022 Ballon d’Or winner has now won the Club World Cup five timesCredit: Reuters
    They are the 10th successive European club to lift the trophy as Saudi Arabian side Al-Hilal failed to keep the Spaniards at bay.
    Vinicius opened the scoring in the 13th minute, capping a fine move by sliding the ball past keeper Abdullah Al-Mayouf.
    Valverde doubled the LaLiga giants’ advantage five minutes later when the Uruguayan expertly fired into the bottom corner from the edge of the area.
    Saudi Pro League champions Al-Hilal did pull a goal back midway through the first half through Moussa Marega as he finished off a lovely through ball from Mohammed Kanno.
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    But Benzema restored Real Madrid’s two-goal cushion nine minutes into the second period, latching onto a Vinicius pass and dispatching prolifically.
    And it was 4-1 before the hour mark as Valverde helped himself to his second of the night, lashing a Dani Carvajal delivery beyond the helpless Al-Mayouf.
    Al-Hilal found a second consolation goal in the 63rd minute through former Fulham man Luciano Vietto.
    But the 14-time European champions were soon three goals to the good once more as Dani Ceballos found Vinicus who made no mistake from close range.
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    Vietto bagged his second of the game to make it 5-3, before Madrid saw it out to claim the title.
    Al Hilal could have made a real game of it, but Moussa Marega missed an open goal to make it 5-4.
    The Club World Cup is Carlo Ancelotti’s team’s first silverware of the season as they sit eight points adrift of Barcelona in LaLiga.
    They previously won the Club World Cup four times between 2014 and 2018.
    And Los Blancos will be hoping this triumph can catapult them to success in the Champions League as they prepare to take on Liverpool in the last-16 later this month.
    Real have won the Club World Cup five times in the last nine yearsCredit: Getty More

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    Why are the Club World Cup referees wearing microphones?

    FOOTBALL fans have begged for more transparency on refereeing decisions – and they could finally be getting their wish.For all its controversy, the introduction of VAR has helped referees to often make the correct call on several incidents.
    VAR has become a huge part of modern day footballCredit: Getty
    And the semi-automatic offside system played a huge role in decision making at the World Cup.
    However, fans still feel as if they have been left in the dark once a conclusion has been agreed by the match officials.
    But that could all change should this new trial go according to plan.
    Why are the Club World Cup referees wearing microphones?
    The Club World Cup referees have been trialling technology which allows fans in the stadium to hear match officials explaining decisions.
    Read more on referees
    It has been set in place for fans to have more transparency on how the referees have come to their decision following a VAR review.
    And the Club World Cup which began on February 1, 2023 is the first event of a 12-month trial period in international contests.
    What has been said?
    The trial was implemented by the International Football Association Board.
    FIFA Referees Committee Chairman Pierluigi Collina said that the purpose of this trial is to make the VAR intervention more ‘understandable for all’ including spectators watching from home.
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    He said: “As language could be one of the issues, we thought this FIFA Club World Cup would be perfect because it’s a multi-language competition, with teams and, of course, spectators involved coming from all six of the different continents.
    “I have to say that there are other experiences in other sports, namely the NFL in American football, who have been doing this for quite a long time.
    “It seems that the referees are pretty comfortable with this. More

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    Real Madrid vs Al-Hilal – Club World Cup final: Spanish giants looking to crush Saudi champs’ dreams – stream FREE

    REAL MADRID and Al-Hilal are all set to battle it out for Club World Cup supremacy – and it is not to be missed!Salem Al-Dawsari’s two penalties and Luciano Vietto’s spectacular close-range effort was enough for Al-Hilal to get past ten-men flamingo in Morocco.
    Salem Al-Dawsari’s double inspired Al-Hilal to a 3-2 win against FlamengoCredit: AP
    Real Madrid humiliated Al Ahly 4-1 in the Club World Cup semi-finalCredit: Reuters
    And it meant that Ramon Diaz’s side created history having become the first EVER Saudi side to progress to the Club World Cup final.
    However, Al Hilal will need to put on a masterclass performance if they are to go all the way as they come up against the most decorated team in the competition’s history.
    Furthermore, Los Blancos comfortably beat Al Ahly 4-1 so they’ll be quietly confident that they can get the job done.
    Read more on Club World Cup
    When is the Club World Cup final 2023 – Real Madrid vs Al Hilal?

    Real Madrid’s mouthwatering final against Al-Hilal will take place on Saturday, February 11.
    It is scheduled to get underway at 7pm GMT – 8pm local time.
    Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat, Morocco is the allocated arena for this huge encounter and it can host approximately 45,800 fans.
    This will be the first time these two giants have met but Real Madrid is no stranger to this occasion having once won it THREE consecutive times (2016-2018).

    Is the Club World Cup final on TV and can it be live streamed?

    Unfortunately, Real Madrid vs Al Hilal will NOT be broadcast live on TV in the UK.
    However, viewers can head to FIFA+ to catch the entire action.
    Alternatively, SunSport will be bringing fans minute-by-minute coverage of the final.

    Most read in Football
    Can I watch it for FREE?
    Yes! Real Madrid’s Club World Cup final against Al-Hilal can be watched for FREE on FIFA plus.
    What is the team news?
    Yasser Al-Shahrani is set to continue to miss out on first-team action due to a sustained fractured jaw.
    But Ramon Diaz has no fresh injury concerns ahead of this huge encounter.
    Elsewhere, Eder Militao, Eden Hazard, Ferland Mendy and Lucas Vazquez are all unlikely to feature.
    And Carlo Ancelotti will be sweating over the fitness of Karim Benzema who also missed out on the semi-final win against Al Ahly. More

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    AL AHLY 1 REAL MADRID 4 LIVE RESULT: Los Blancos book Club World Cup final spot in style after thrashing Egyptian side

    REAL MADRID have booked their spot in the Club World Cup final having thrashed Al Ahly 4-1.Vinicius Jr’s delightful chip put Real Madrid ahead before Federico Valverde doubled their lead.
    Ali Maaloul pulled one back for the Egyptian side to give Al Ahly a lifeline.
    However, two stoppage-time strikes from Rodrygo and Sergio Arribas sealed the deal for Madrid.

    RESULT: Al Ahly 1-4 Real Madrid
    Live stream: FIFA+
    Real Madrid XI: Lunin, Alaba, Nacho, Rudiger, Camavinga, Valverde, Tchouameni, Modric, Kroos, Vinicius JR, Rodrygo
    Al Ahly XI: Elshenawy, Maaloul, Metwally, Abdelmonem, Hany, Dieng, Elsoulia, Afsha, Abdelkader, Elshahat, Sherif

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    Follow ALL the action with our live blog below…
    That’s all from us!
    Thank you so much for joining us for this game, it was a cracker as we expected.
    If you haven’t quite got your football fix for tonight, then catch a bit more as we cover Manchester United against Leeds.
    Goodnight!
    Man of the Match
    The prestigious SunSport man of the match award tonight goes to Federico Valverde.
    The Uruguayan superstar midfielder was electric for Madrid, and ran the show, while also adding a cheeky goal to his name.
    Vinicius was great too, as was Rodrygo, but the honours go to Fede tonight.
    Valverde was man of the match against Al AhlyCredit: Getty
    A tough test in the final!
    While today’s result looks like it was a walk in the park for Real Madrid, it was far from it.
    Al-Hilal looked like a very dangerous side yesterday, and will pose a really tough test for Madrid in the final.
    Who knows, Odion Ighalo and his boys might just surprise the European champions…
    Odion Ighalo will star for Al-Hilal against Real MadridCredit: Getty
    Vinicius Jr will need to be on top form to get the better of Al-Hilal in the finalCredit: Reuters
    Club World Cup finalists, Real Madrid!
    And it is settled, Real Madrid are in the Club World Cup final, again…
    The eight time winners have yet another chance to win the trophy, but will face a stern test against Odion Ighalo’s Al-Hilal.
    They struggled in parts in this game against the Egyptian champions, but eventually got over the line with relative ease.
    Vinicius Jr opened the scoring with a smart finish, before Valverde made it two just after half-time.
    Al Ahly pulled one back in the second half from the spot, but Real Madrid held on before scoring a third and a fourth in added time.
    FT. Real Madrid 4-1 Al Ahly
    That’s all she wrote in this one, and Real Madrid join Al-Hilal in the Club World Cup final!
    90+8. Real Madrid 4-1 Al Ahly
    Real Madrid get a fourth!It’s Arribas the substitute, he has only just come on!
    90+6. Real Madrid 3-1 Al Ahly
    Two subs for Real Madrid.
    Modric and Rodrygo are replaced by Mariano and Odriozola.
    90+5. Real Madrid 3-1 Al Ahly
    Al Ahly almost get a goal back, but Lunin makes a good save and then pounces on his rebound.
    90+3. Real Madrid 3-1 Al Ahly
    Rodrygo makes it 3-1, another chipped finish from the Brazilian.
    Horrible defending from Al-Ahly, the defenders gave up!
    90. Real Madrid 2-1 Al Ahly
    There will be eight minutes of added time…
    88. Real Madrid 2-1 Al Ahly
    It was a weak pen from Luka Modric, not powerful enough or hit with enough direction to beat the keeper.
    Good save.
    86. Real Madrid 2-1 Al Ahly
    Real Madrid have a penalty, and it is Luka Modric who steps up to take it.
    He MISSES!
    85. Real Madrid 2-1 Al Ahly
    Decision: Penalty!
    84. Real Madrid 2-1 Al Ahly
    There is a VAR review ongoing for a penalty to Real Madrid…
    82. Real Madrid 2-1 Al Ahly
    Al Ahly are pushing for the equaliser, which is leaving them vulnerable to the Real Madrid attacks, particularly their fast breaks with Vinicius Jr.
    80. Real Madrid 2-1 Al Ahly
    You would back Real Madrid to see this one out from here, but it may be a much tougher test when they face Al-Hilal, who looked impressive yesterday…
    76. Real Madrid 2-1 Al Ahly
    A long cross-field ball evades Rudiger and almost finds Percy Tau at the back post.
    Just an inch too far for the South African.
    74. Real Madrid 2-1 Al Ahly
    Al Ahly are pushing for an equaliser and pressing high up the pitch.
    A bit too much pressure for Nacho, who moves the ball on and gets his toe stamped on.
    Real Madrid free kick…
    72. Real Madrid 2-1 Al Ahly
    Valverde glides through the Al Ahly defence before eventually losing possession.
    It’s not long before another big challenge comes in on Camavinga…
    70. Real Madrid 2-1 Al Ahly
    Almost an equaliser for Al Ahly!
    They know they can do it here, and they smell blood!They break down the right hand side, and find a ball into the middle, but it is blazed over from close range.
    68. Real Madrid 2-1 Al Ahly
    Just like that, Al Ahly have belief!
    It was slotted home with ease by Maaloul into the bottom left hand corner from the spot.
    65. Real Madrid 2-1 Al Ahly
    Great pen.
    Maaloul gets one back for Al Ahly!
    64. Real Madrid 2-0 Al Ahly
    Penalty to Al Ahly!
    Camavinga with a clumsy tackle and it is a pen for the Egyptian champions…
    62. Real Madrid 2-0 Al Ahly
    Percy Tau is on for Al Ahly!
    The ex-Brighton forward will be looking to make an impact against Real Madrid tonight.
    60. Real Madrid 2-0 Al Ahly
    Real Madrid think they have a penalty for a late challenge on Vinicius Jr, but after a VAR review it is not given and the score stays at 2-0.
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    Flamengo 2 Al-Hilal 3 LIVE RESULT: Saudi side sink 10-men Brazilian champs and book historic Club World Cup final spot

    AL-HILAL made history tonight by becoming the FIRST Saudi Arabian side to qualify for a Club World Cup final after beating Flamengo in Morocco.Salem Al-Dawsari’s two penalties and Luciano Vietto’s sublime strike were enough to see the Saudi giants book their spot in Saturday’s final.
    Meaning that Al-Hilal are set to face the winners of Real Madrid and Al Ahly.

    RESULT: Flamengo 2-3 Al-Hilal
    Live stream: FIFA Plus
    Flamengo XI: Santos, Matheuzinho, David Luiz, Leo Pereira, Ayrton Lucas, Thiago Maia, Gerson, E. Ribeiro, De Arrascaeta, Gabi, Pedro.
    Al-Hilal XI: Al Muaiouf, Abdulhamid, Hyun-Soo Jang, Al-Boleahi, Aldawsari, Carrillo, Cuellar, Al Dawsari, Vietto, Ighalo, Moussa

    Follow ALL the action with our live blog below…
    That’s all from us!
    Thank you so much for joining us for this game, it was a cracker as we expected.
    Join us again tomorrow at the same time for coverage of Real Madrid against Al-Ahly.
    The winner of that one will face off against Al-Hilal in the final!
    Man of the match
    The SunSport Man of the match today goes to Al-Dawsari.
    The winger, who opened the scoring for Saudi Arabia against Argentina in the World Cup, scored two penalties to give his side the lead.
    He put in an all-round brilliant showing, and made the likes of David Luiz look like amatuer defenders at times.
    Al-Dawsari took the prestigious SunSport MOTM award homeCredit: Getty
    History makers!
    Al-Hilal are the first Saudi Arabian team in history to reach a Club World Cup final!
    Another Saudi Arabian success story in football as of late, as they go on to face either Al-Ahly or Real Madrid in the final.
    Two penalties converted by Al-Dawsari, followed by a beautiful Luciano Vietto finish made sure that they would make history tonight, in what was a truly brilliant game of football.
    Twice Flamengo had hope of being back in it, but it wasn’t their night despite two goals from striker Pedro.
    Congratulations to Al-Hilal, and commiserations to Flamengo, the wait for a Brazilian Club World Cup champion goes on…
    Al-Hilal are the first Saudi side to make a Club World Cup finalCredit: Getty
    FT. Flamengo 2-3 Al-Hilal
    Full time here in the Club World Cup semi-final, and Al-Hilal have won it by three goals to two!
    90+6. Flamengo 2-3 Al-Hilal
    A cross comes in from Matheuzinho, but it is caught by the Al-Hilal goalkeeper.
    Flamengo will be wondering what could have been if it wasn’t for that VAR intervention…
    90+4. Flamengo 2-3 Al-Hilal
    Could we have a great escape on our hands, as Flamengo with 10 men need just one goal to be level in this game.
    Just two minutes left if they are going to find a goal…
    90+2. Flamengo 2-3 Al-Hilal
    Hold on, it’s not over yet! Pedro gets his second of the night, and Flamengo are just one goal behind!
    90. Flamengo 1-3 Al-Hilal
    There will be six minutes of added time at the end of the second half.
    90. Flamengo 1-3 Al-Hilal
    It takes more than a boot to the face to keep David Luiz down, the Brazilian is back to his feet and charging forwards.
    88. Flamengo 1-3 Al-Hilal
    Vietto comes off for Al-Hilal, and the Saudi side have a corner.
    The corner comes in, and a bicycle kick is attempted by Moussa Marega, the attempt seems to catch David Luiz in the face, and the Brazilian stays down…
    86. Flamengo 1-3 Al-Hilal
    Al-Hilal have been so impressive tonight, everything they have done has been so professional and well done.
    The way they are seeing this game out and running it on the counter attack is also brilliant.
    They will be no easy feat in the final for whoever they face…
    82. Flamengo 1-3 Al-Hilal
    Another familiar face entering the field…
    Arturo Vidal, previously of Juventus and Bayern Munich is on for Thiago Maia.
    80. Flamengo 1-3 Al-Hilal
    The Flamengo fans are unhappy that Al-Hilal are running the clock down a bit by passing the ball around the back, which sees a high press come from the Flamengo players.
    78. Flamengo 1-3 Al-Hilal
    A big clearance comes in from David Luiz, who may just be a bad luck charm in the Club World Cup it seems.
    Twice he has been on the team favoured to win, and as it stands, twice he has lost…
    75. Flamengo 1-3 Al-Hilal
    Al-Hilal are 15 minutes away from becoming the first Saudi Arabian club to be in a Club World Cup final.
    The last time an Asian side reached the final was in 2016.
    Tomorrow they will find out their fate when Real Madrid face of against Al Ahly…
    72. Flamengo 1-3 Al-Hilal
    It looked as though the chance might be gone when Vietto received the ball in the box with David Luiz in front of him.
    He takes the ball down, and smashes it off the cross bar and into the back of the net.
    Great finish.
    70. Flamengo 1-3 Al-Hilal
    What a finish that is from Luciano Vietto!
    The ex-Fulham and Valencia man hammers home, the Argentine against the Brazilians!
    70. Flamengo 1-2 Al-Hilal
    Everton Ribeiro is off, and he is replaced by Everton.
    Like for like, I suppose…
    68. Flamengo 1-2 Al-Hilal
    Moussa Marega drives powerfully at the Flamengo defence, which they do not like one bit.
    It doesn’t lead to a goal, but great running from the target man.
    66. Flamengo 1-2 Al-Hilal
    Khalifa Al-Dawsari is off now after his poor spell in the game, perhaps fresh legs to sure up the defence is just what they needed.
    64. Flamengo 1-2 Al-Hilal
    Yellow card for Khalifa Al-Dawsari, the same player who missed a sitter just a moment ago.
    A poor individual spell…
    62. Flamengo 1-2 Al-Hilal
    This game seems as though it is starting to open up for both teams, with opportunities seeming to come a bit more frequently now.
    60. Flamengo 1-2 Al-Hilal
    So close to a third for Al-Hilal!A lovely run from Moussa Marega leads to him playing the ball across the box.
    Unfortunately it is the centre-half in the middle of the box and he blazes the shot wide.
    The offside flag goes up anyway.
    58. Flamengo 1-2 Al-Hilal
    A first change for Al-Hilal, and it is a Brazilian coming on for the Saudi side.
    Michael comes on in place of Odion Ighalo.
    56. Flamengo 1-2 Al-Hilal
    Lovely football again from Flamengo, as Everton Ribiero and Gabriel combine fluidly before the ball falls to Pedro.
    Pedro looks for the man in the middle, but he goes to ground to no avail.
    Pulgar, the substitute, is booked.
    Load more entries… More

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    Supercomputer predicts Wednesday’s football scores including Man Utd vs Leeds, Real Madrid and Sunderland vs Fulham

    THREE big games are set to take place on Wednesday evening as fans are given a choice between Premier League, FA Cup and Club World Cup action.Man Utd prepare to face off against Leeds twice in four days – the first of which comes at Old Trafford.
    Marcus Rashford is enjoying a remarkable run of formCredit: PA
    Sunderland’s Chris Rigg thought he had scored the winner against Fulham at Craven Cottage before the goal was ruled outCredit: Getty
    Erik ten Hag’s men are seeking a 14th successive home win in all competitions and could move level on points with second-place Man City with a victory.
    Meanwhile, Sunderland and Fulham will meet once more for a place in the FA Cup fifth round.
    The Black Cats earned a replay after drawing 1-1 at Craven Cottage, but they will need to go one step further if they are to reach the last-16 for the first time in eight years.
    And if that wasn’t enough, European champions Real Madrid are also playing as they take on Egyptian side Al Ahly in the Club World Cup.
    READ MORE IN FOOTBALL
    Here is how the supercomputer – which analyses the latest odds and statistical data – sees all three matches going on Wednesday night…
    Man Utd vs Leeds
    Man Utd look unbeatable at home at this moment in time as they set their sights on rivals Man City – who are struggling to put together a solid run of form in the Premier League.
    By contrast, Leeds have not won a league match since the beginning of November.
    And while the departure of Jesse Marsch could spell the start of a new era, do not expect that to start at Old Trafford.
    Most read in Football
    Supercomputer winner: Man Utd
    Supercomputer predicted scoreline: Man Utd 2-0 Leeds
    Most likely goalscorer: Marcus Rashford

    Sunderland vs Fulham
    Sunderland showed they are more than capable of competing with Premier League sides when they earned a draw in West London 10 days ago.
    But getting over the line and actually knocking out Marco Silva’s men could be a step too far for the second-tier outfit.
    Supercomputer winner: Draw (Fulham on penalties)
    Supercomputer predicted scoreline: 1-1
    Most likely goalscorer: Aleksandar Mitrovic
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    Al Ahly vs Real Madrid
    Real Madrid may have fallen eight points behind Barcelona in the LaLiga title race, but they will undoubtedly see the Club World Cup as a huge opportunity for silverware.
    Carlo Ancelotti’s men take on Egypt’s Al Ahly in the semi-finals of the tournament, with Flamengo or Al-Hilal awaiting them in Saturday’s final.
    Supercomputer winner: Real Madrid
    Read More on The Sun
    Supercomputer predicted scoreline: Al Ahly 0-2 Real Madrid
    Most likely goalscorer: Karim Benzema
    Karim Benzema has scored 13 goals so far this seasonCredit: Getty More