THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates — Inter Milan won the Club World Cup with a comfortable 3-0 victory over TP Mazembe 3-0 in the final on Saturday to end the surprising run of the African champions.
The European champions, who won their fifth title of the year and second for coach Rafa Benitez, jumped out to 2-0 within the first 20 minutes.
Inter’s third world club title following success in 1964 and ’65, added to this year’s historic treble of the Italian league, cup, and Champions League under Jose Mourinho, plus the Italian Supercup to start this season.
Cameroon striker Samuel Eto’o chipped a pass to forward Goran Pandev, who opened the scoring in the 13th minute. Eto’o added the second himself four minutes later when he picked up a loose ball in the area and slotted it home. He rushed to the sidelines and began doing a celebratory dance with several players.
Eto’o, who was named player of the tournament, bagged his 19th goal in 23 games for Inter and his first since Nov. 21.
The scoreline could been even higher in the first half, if not for the exploits of Mazembe goalkeeper Muteba Kidiaba, who twice denied striker Diego Milito at close range.
Mazembe, which upset Copa Libertadores champion Internacional of Brazil in the semifinals, looked rattled for much of the first half.
The team from Congo was unable to break down the Inter defence and several players became visibly frustrated, picking up yellow cards. One comical scene featured midfielder Amia Ekanga clearly diving in the area in an attempt to get a penalty, then jumping up and running straight into an Inter player. He fell to the ground clutching his face, a show that got him the team’s third yellow of the half.
Mazembe stepped up its attack in the second half, earning its first real chance in the 63rd when captain Kazembe Mihayo had a shot cleared by keeper Julio Cesar. Striker Dioko Kaluyituka had several chances, including a header right at Cesar. Then he attempted to chip a cross over Cesar, who managed to clear it just ahead of the rushing Amia Ekanga.
With time running out, Inter made one last push. Substitute Jonathan Biabiany brought down a pass in the area with his left foot, shifted it to his right and coolly pushed it past Kidiaba in the 85th.
Benitez, who had been denied the title in 2005 when his Liverpool squad lost to Sao Paolo, appeared visibly with relieved after winning the title and said it came down to the team’s stellar defence and ball control.
"It was not an easy game because everyone was putting pressure on us that we had to win and do it well. Some of the football players were tired," Benitez said. "But we wanted to do well and we trusted we could do it. We wanted to win and we did it."
Along with relief, the victory seemed to energize Benitez who until now has largely been silent about the team’s struggles this season.
Until this match, the Italian media was filled with stories of Benitez’s demise and possible replacements. Club president Massimo Moratti frequently undermined his manager by issuing ultimatums: warning that the Club World Cup had to be won or complaining that he felt "betrayed" after its recent Champions League loss to Werder Bremen.
The team has slumped to seventh in the Serie A standings and stumbled into the Champions League knockout stage where it will face Bayern Munich in a rerun of last season’s Champions League final.
Benitez’s frustration boiled over at a post-match press conference where he complained about a lack of support from the upper manager including Moratti. He said he held a meeting before and after the match with Moratti and demanded the team buy "three or four more players" in order to salvage their season. If not, he said envisioned either muddling through the season or "consulting a lawyer."
"From my side, there is no problem," Benitez said. "I am very happy. I’m a professional who works 100 per cent for the club. I want the support which I haven’t gotten so far. That’s all. If we have new players, I’m sure the club will improve significantly."
Benitez said he had several players in mind but refused to name them for fear their price on the transfer market would go up. But he was clear that the additions to his injury-hit squad — which also contains 15 players over 30 — could salvage Inter’s season and give it a chance to repeat the success it had under Mourinho.
"Everything possible. We have three trophies to play for," Benitez said. "The league will be more difficult but if we have players we can win some games in a row. In the cup, the Champions League, you never know."
While Inter has much to play for, Mazembe’s moment on the world football stage comes to an end. It’s run — including a quarterfinal victory over Mexico’s Pachuca and then its stunning win against Internacional — captivated football fans around the world and gave another boost to African football following the successful 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
Coach Lamine N’Diaye, a former Senegalese footballer who had taken over the team midway through its African Champions League campaign, said the team simply ran out of gas in the final and committed too many mental mistakes.
"I am sad for this loss. We were planning to have a better match," he said. "We committed many mistakes tactically in the beginning of the match which cost us two goals. The team was tired and exhausted. We needed one more day for rest to retain our fitness. Inter was better than us and they deserved to win."