River Plate reaches final of Club World Cup after 19 years
Posted December 16, 2015 6:00 am
OSAKA, Japan (AP) - South American champion River Plate booked a place in the Club World Cup final for the first time in 19 years by beating Sanfrecce Hiroshima 1-0 on Wednesday.
River was matched for large spells by the J-League champion, but Lucas Alario scored in the second half with a header after Hiroshima goalkeeper Takuto Hayashi could only half-punch away a Carlos Sanchez free kick.
"We knew Hiroshima would be an organized team," River coach Marcelo Gallardo said. "But we tried to adjust and be persistent, and were able to score from the free kick."
Yusuke Minagawa had the best chances for Hiroshima in the first half, but failed to convert a trio of opportunities.
In the final on Sunday, River faces either Barcelona or Guangzhou Evergrande, who meet on Thursday.
Hiroshima takes on the loser of that game in the third-place playoff the same day.
River won the Club World Cup in 1986 on debut, and lost the '96 final to Juventus.
A large contingent of River Plate fans were at Nagai Stadium.
"To get such support here in Japan gave us huge energy," Gallardo said. "We were all dreaming of going to the final."
Meanwhile, Dario Benedetto and Martin Zuniga scored first-half goals as Mexico's Club America beat TP Mazembe 2-1 to finish in fifth place.
Benedetto put the CONCACAF champion ahead in the 19th minute and Zuniga widened the lead 10 minutes later when he tapped in a loose ball from close range.
Rainford Kalaba pulled one back for the African champion with two minutes remaining in the first half.
River Plateâs Gabriel Mercado, left, and Sanfrecce Hiroshimaâs Kazuhiko Chiba compete for the ball during their semifinal match at the FIFA Club World Cup soccer tournament in Osaka, western Japan, Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2015. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
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River Plateâs coach Marcelo Gallardo walks from the pitch during their semifinal match against Sanfrecce Hiroshima at the FIFA Club World Cup soccer tournament in Osaka, western Japan, Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2015. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
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River Plateâs Lucas Alario, left, heads the ball away from Sanfrecce Hiroshimaâs Kazuyuki Morisaki during their semifinal match at the FIFA Club World Cup soccer tournament in Osaka, western Japan, Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2015. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
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Sanfrecce Hiroshimaâs Douglas, left, of Brazil and River Plateâs Eder Balanta of Colombia battle for the ball during their semifinal match at the FIFA Club World Cup soccer tournament in Osaka, western Japan, Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2015. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
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River Plateâs Jonatan Maidana, left, and Sanfrecce Hiroshimaâs Yusuke Minagawa compete for the ball during their semifinal match at the FIFA Club World Cup soccer tournament in Osaka, western Japan, Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2015. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
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River Plateâs Carlos Sanchez, right, of Uruguay and Sanfrecce Hiroshimaâs Sho Sasaki compete for the ball during their semifinal match at the FIFA Club World Cup soccer tournament in Osaka, western Japan, Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2015. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
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River Plateâs Rodrigo Mora of Uruguay leaps on top of teammate Lucas Alario to congratulate him on his goal during their semifinal match against Sanfrecce Hiroshima at the FIFA Club World Cup soccer tournament in Osaka, western Japan, Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2015. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
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River Plateâs Lucas Alario , bottom right, is congratulated by teammates after scoring a goal during their semifinal match against Sanfrecce Hiroshima at the FIFA Club World Cup soccer tournament in Osaka, western Japan, Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2015. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
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River Plateâs Lucas Alario , bottom right, is congratulated by teammates after scoring a goal during their semifinal match against Sanfrecce Hiroshima at the FIFA Club World Cup soccer tournament in Osaka, western Japan, Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2015. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
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River Plateâs Lucas Alario, centre, gestures as he celebrates after scoring a goal against Sanfrecce Hiroshima during their semifinal match at the FIFA Club World Cup soccer tournament in Osaka, western Japan, Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2015. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
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River Plateâs Carlos Sanchez, left, of Uruguay gestures as he celebrates with teammates after Lucas Alario, number 13, scored a goal during their semifinal match at the FIFA Club World Cup soccer tournament in Osaka, western Japan, Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2015. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
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River Plateâs Rodrigo Mora of Uruguay leaps on top of teammate Lucas Alario to congratulate him on his goal during their semifinal match against Sanfrecce Hiroshima at the FIFA Club World Cup soccer tournament in Osaka, western Japan, Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2015. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
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Sanfrecce Hiroshimaâs Hisato Sato attempts to control the ball during their semifinal match against River Plate at the FIFA Club World Cup soccer tournament in Osaka, western Japan, Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2015. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
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River Plateâs Rodrigo Mora of Uruguay embraces teammate Lucas Alario, left, as they celebrate their win over Sanfrecce Hiroshima during their semifinal match at the FIFA Club World Cup soccer tournament in Osaka, western Japan, Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2015. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
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River Plate players leave the pitch following their 1-0 win over Sanfrecce Hiroshima in their semifinal match at the FIFA Club World Cup soccer tournament in Osaka, western Japan, Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2015. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
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River Plateâs Luis Gonzalez kneels on the ground as he celebrates his team's 1-0 win over Sanfrecce Hiroshima during their semifinal match at the FIFA Club World Cup soccer tournament in Osaka, western Japan, Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2015. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
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River Plate players celebrate after defeating Sanfrecce Hiroshima 1-0 in their semifinal match at the FIFA Club World Cup soccer tournament in Osaka, western Japan, Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2015. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
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River Plate supporters celebrate after their team's 1-0 win over Sanfrecce Hiroshima in their semifinal match at the FIFA Club World Cup soccer tournament in Osaka, western Japan, Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2015. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
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Referee Jonas Eriksson of Sweden shows a yellow card to Sanfrecce Hiroshimaâs Douglas of Brazil after a foul on River Plateâs Tabare Viudez of Uruguay during their semifinal match at the FIFA Club World Cup soccer tournament in Osaka, western Japan, Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2015. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
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Players from River Plate pose for a team photo ahead of their game against Sanfrecce Hiroshima for the semifinal match at the FIFA Club World Cup soccer tournament in Osaka, western Japan, Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2015. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
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River Plateâs Lucas Alario, centre, gestures as he celebrates after scoring a goal against Sanfrecce Hiroshima during their semifinal match at the FIFA Club World Cup soccer tournament in Osaka, western Japan, Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2015. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
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River Plateâs Lucas Alario , bottom right, is congratulated by teammates after scoring a goal during their semifinal match against Sanfrecce Hiroshima at the FIFA Club World Cup soccer tournament in Osaka, western Japan, Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2015. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
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