Chelsea ended Al-Hilal’s dreams of winning the FIFA Club World Cup with a 1-0 win in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday, but the Saudis won plenty of international respect for pushing the European champions all the way in what was an enthralling contest.
A first half goal from unsettled striker Romelo Lukaku made the difference for the English Premier League powerhouse that was relieved to hang on to that lead in the face of some serious pressure from the Asian champions after the break. It was a tale of two halves. Chelsea had the first, Al-Hilal had the second, but could not cancel out Lukaku’s strike.
In front of a lively crowd at the Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium, Chelsea controlled the opening 45 minutes and should have taken the lead after 10 minutes with Hakim Ziyech shooting just over from just inside the area. The Saudi Arabians were struggling to get out of their area, never mind their half, and shortly after, Lukaku, inside the six-yard box, only had to get a touch on a perfect low cross from the right to turn the ball home, but was unable to do so.
The Belgian striker remained a lively presence and had an even easier chance from even closer range around the half hour. This time he made no mistake. Kai Havertz got to the left byline and his cross bounced off the chest of Yasser Al-Shahrani, facing the wrong way, and fell to Lukaku who lashed the ball home from close range.
Al-Hilal thrashed Al-Jazira of the United Arab Emirates 6-1 on Sunday to secure this semi-final spot, but struggled to bring their talented attackers into the game at all. Salem Al-Dawsari had the first Al-Hilal attempt on goal, cutting into the left side of the Chelsea area and firing over after 35 minutes. It was as close as they were to come in the first half, though the same player actually forced Kepa Arrizabalaga to make a save with a tame free kick.
Chelsea, however, continued to look much likelier to score and as the whistle blew, the only positive for the Asian champions was that there was only one goal in it at the break. There was another sign of the strength of the opposition as Jorginho was withdrawn only to be replaced by N’Golo Kante.
The Europeans went close soon after the restart. Havertz galloped down the left, into the area and, after taking perhaps a touch too many, hit the post from a tight angle. It suggested a continuation of West London dominance, but instead provoked the best period of play from the Riyadh giants. The Blues moved the ball around nicely and a patient move ended with Mohamed Kanno shooting over from just outside the area.
Al-Hilal were now on top and soon should have been level. Matheus Pereira, who started to see more of the ball, slipped a perfect pass through to Moussa Marega in the area but the Malian marksman’s low shot was well saved by the onrushing Kepa.
Soon after, Odion Ighalo saw his shot blocked and Kanno, just outside the area, latched onto the rebound and let fly with a fierce shot that had the goalkeeper through the air in impressive fashion to make a fantastic one-handed save. From another corner Jang Hyun-soo headed just wide.
Chelsea were rocking, but the difference between the two teams was that the Blues scored during their ascendancy, while Al-Hilal could not. In the final 15 minutes, the two-time UEFA Champions League winners started to see more of the ball and stop Al-Hilal’s chances. Leonardo Jardim’s men grew frustrated as they were just not able to get the opportunity they needed in the final minutes as the English team slowed down the play.
The victors will go on to meet Palmeiras on Saturday in the final after the Brazilians defeated Al-Ahly of Egypt 24 hours previously. Al-Hilal will take on their fellow Arab giants in the third and fourth place playoff and do so knowing that they can compete with any team in the world.