World Champion - Manchester United

United set the seal on an historic year by becoming the first British side to win the Club World Cup to end 2008 as the best team on the planet.

First-half dominance gave way to second-half nerves as the Reds were forced to play 45 minutes with only 10 men following Nemanja Vidic’s sending off, but a 73rd minute goal from player of the tournament Wayne Rooney gave United a deserved victory.

Sir Alex Ferguson had shuffled his pack, making four changes to the side that beat Gamba Osaka, while Liga de Quito coach Edgardo Bauza - managing the Ecuadorian side for the last time - named the same XI that started against Pachucha in Wednesday’s other semi-final. There had been pre-match speculation that the tough-tackling South Americans may target Cristiano Ronaldo, and sure enough, Claudio Bieler was in the book just two minutes into the match for a rough shoulder-check on Ronny. The Uzbek referee Ravshan Irmatov made it clear he was wasn’t going to stand for any nonsense during this game, and the yellow card was duly shown.....More

Focused on final

Cristiano Ronaldo has revealed his determination to win the Club World Cup, whilst reiterrating his desire to remain at Old Trafford.

The winger headed United's second goal in the 5-3 victory over Gamba Osaka on Thursday to set up a meeting with Liga de Quito in Sunday's final.

The build-up to the Reds' opening game in Japan was dominated by claims that Ronaldo will be joining Real Madrid next summer after United had reportedly shaken hands on a deal with the Spaniards.

Ronaldo was keen to distance himself from the ongoing speculation, preferring to focus on United's quest to be world champions.

"I don't care what people are saying,” he said. “I have not read it. I am here in Japan and I know nothing about what is going on around me. But I am very happy playing for Manchester United.

"We are all looking forward to Sunday's final and I think we have a great chance.

"I really want to win this trophy after the year I have had. Not just for me, but for United. Maybe most of the players won’t have another opportunity to win this trophy in their career, so it's very important to us.

"No other British team has won it and we want to be the first to do that. And I believe it will give us extra motivation to win the Champions League and Premier League again."

CR stars as MU reach Club World Cup final

Cristiano Ronaldo, the face that launched a thousand flashbulbs here, helped Manchester United move within one step of being crowned champions of the world in this lively Club World Cup semi-final.

Ronaldo built the platform for United’s early lead, helping create a goal for Nemanja Vidic and then rising high to head United’s second.

The footballing riches that Sir Alex Ferguson has at his disposal was highlighted in the second half when Wayne Rooney charged on, scoring twice (and being booked for kicking a prone opponent), while another substitute Darren Fletcher, added another.

United had laboured to settle, perhaps working the jet-lag out of their system, or rust in the case of Paul Scholes, making his first start since Aalborg away in September. Gary Neville also looked uncertain, struggling against the quick movement of Lucas and Michihiro Yasuda. Only the alertness of Edwin van der Sar rescued Neville when Ryuji Bando broke through and shot low, the keeper saving with his legs.

Gamba Osaka’s fans were in good voice but Ronaldo was in better form. The Portuguese was beginning to click into gear, delighting the fans with a series of step-overs and speedy dribbles. After 28 minutes, the European Footballer of the Year ran onto another pass from the busy Carlos Tevez, cut inside and forced a corner off Satoshi Yamaguchi, the Osaka centre-half.

Yamaguchi had done well to repel that United attack but he then lost focus. As Ryan Giggs curled over the corner-kick, Yamaguchi utterly failed to react to Vidic’s presence, allowing the Serb to leap and head powerfully home. United’s desire to win this tournament was clearly evident as all the players rushed to Vidic to celebrate.

But it was Ronaldo who continued to attract most attention. His lime-green boots were clearly an object of fascination for the packed-out stadium and an instrument of pain for poor Osaka. Shortly after the half-hour mark, Ronaldo again bewitched Osaka’s defence, beating Yasuda and crossing into the box. How Anderson put a routine header wide was a mystery.

Ferdinand momentarily slipped up, squaring the ball blind, and allowing Bando a free run at goal, but fortunately for United he shot wide. Ferguson’s men, though, had detected Osaka’s vulnerability and again exploited their inability to combat aerial balls. On the cusp of half-time, Giggs bent another corner across and there was Ronaldo, having escaped Tomokazu Myojin, heading in.

The Japanese showed more threatening signs in the second half, Bando unleashing a fiercesome shot that almost snapped Neville in two. Then Van der Sar pushed an Endo free-kick away. Poor marking by United allowed Masato Yamakazi to poach a goal from 15 yards, causing mass hysteria on the Gamba bench.

But United simply flicked a foot at the accelerator, and Ferguson’s substitutes, Rooney and Fletcher, confirmed the quality of United’s squad. A clever pass from Fletcher found Rooney, who escaped Soto Nakazawa and shot low past Yosuke Fujigaya. United were now really in the mood, Fletcher heading in a terrific cross from Patrice Evra. Still United came, making it 5-1 when Rooney ran on to a Giggs pass and expertly placed the ball past Fujigaya.

The drama continued to escalate with Rooney booked for kicking at Yasuda, albeit in mitigation he was trying to remove the ball, and then Neville conceding a penalty for handling Bando’s cross. Endo converted a truly composed spot-kick. Hideo Hashimoto then rammed home a third for Gamba but Ronaldo and co march on to Sunday’s final with Liga de Quito.

CR wings in to Japan

It must not be easy to complete an 11 and a half hour, 5,956 mile flight from London to Tokyo and be met by a barrage of flashbulbs, but it probably goes with the territory if you are part of Manchester United Football Club.

Sir Alex Ferguson and his 23-man squad landed at Narita Airport in Tokyo at 3.33pm (local time) this afternoon after setting out from London Heathrow at 7.09pm last night. The Red Devils remained in London to rest following their 0-0 draw against Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday evening, a result which sees them six points behind Premier League leaders Liverpool, but with a game in hand.

However, their thoughts must now turn from domestic matters to the FIFA Club World Cup and a semi-final meeting with Gamba Osaka on Thursday evening. As you might expect, excitement in Japan is at fever pitch at the prospect of the AFC champions facing one of the world's biggest clubs.

"This is an international competition and we're going to do our best to beat them," Gamba's Yasuhito Endo told FIFA.com. "I'm going to give everything I have to get forward and attack them. Obviously, Manchester United are a great team, one of the best in the world, and this match will be a fantastic experience for us and the fans, as there are no English players in the J.League. "

It seems that there is similar anticipation within the Manchester United squad. Although they won the Intercontinental Cup in 1999 by beating Palmeiras 1-0, no British club has triumphed in the four previous inceptions of the FIFA Club World Cup. Liverpool came closest when they finished runners-up to Sao Paulo three years ago, and so if United can go one better, then they will not only make history, but earn bragging rights over the rest of the clubs in the United Kingdom.

"Our main objective at the start of each season is to win all the trophies we are involved in," said striker Wayne Rooney. "If we can return as World Club Champions it will be a fantastic achievement and something to be proud of for the players and the club. To say that you are world club champions and the best team in the world would be brilliant.

"That's why we are not going to Japan take the games lightly and rest all the big names - we will definitely be going in there committed to winning it because that is the mentality of the manager and players. I came to United to win trophies - and to win something no other English club has ever won is all the motivation we need. There is no point going all that way and not attempting to create history."

However, the champions of Europe travelled to Japan without goalkeeper Ben Foster, who was forced to withdraw from the squad at the weekend. The England international suffered a hand injury in training and has been replaced by Ben Amos. Amos, an 18-year-old England youth international, made his first-team debut in September in a 3-1 League Cup win over Middlesbrough.

Ferguson's men last travelled to Japan in July 2007 to face Urawa Reds in Saitama Stadium. Goals from Darren Fletcher and Cristiano Ronaldo helped them to a 2-2 draw, with Hideki Uchidate and Shinji Ono scoring for the Japanese side.