Firmino secures FIFA Club World Cup final ticket for Liverpool with stoppage time goal against Monterrey

European champions Liverpool scraped into the final of the 2019 FIFA Club World Cup Qatar with Roberto Firmino’s stoppage time goal ensuring the difference between the Reds and Mexico’s CF Monterrey at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha yesterday.

The closely matched tie, which ended 2-1 in favor of the Anfield team, visibly lived up to its high billings with lots of exciting moments to the delight of the vociferous 45,416 fans packed inside the stadium that is billed to host some of the matches of the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar.

Firmino, who replaced Divock Origi in the 85th minute, tapped home from close range an intelligent cross from his fellow substitute Trent Alexander‑Arnold to seal a slender and difficult victory for the Reds, who will be next up against the Copa Libertadores champions Flamengo in the final match on Saturday.

“The opponent tonight fought really hard. We had problems before the game, we knew that we will have some problems in the game as well, it was clear. But I really think the boys did exceptionally well because we had so many strange things,” Liverpool’s manager Jürgen Klopp said.

"They (CF Monterrey) are good. I saw in the game against Al Sadd that they have good players who can change games. But for us we were, with a new line-up, really dominant in a lot of moments. This kind of switch they do from time to time – five in the back, four in the back – didn't cause us too much problems. We had sensational football moments with Naby and Mo especially when we passed the ball through. We did what we had to do,” he added.

Liverpool's Naby Keita had opened the scoring in the 11th minute of the first half after an excellent Mohamed Salah through ball before Rogelio Funes Mori, the twin brother of former Everton defender Ramiro, pounced on a rebound to equalize for the Los Rayados three minutes later.

With UEFA Player of the Year Virgil van Dijk and some other key players sidelined due to injury and illness, Liverpool had to rely on a makeshift defense, who looked vulnerable at times, and despite taking the lead early on, could have fallen behind after chances fell to Monterrey's Dorlan Pabon, Funes Mori and Jesus Gallardo either side of the break.

The Reds also had more scoring opportunities in the second half but keeper Marcelo Barovero stood like a rock of Gibraltar between the sticks as he denied on two occasions what was a goal-bound shot from Keita.

The match will be remembered both for its on-field and off-field actions as fans on both sides made their presence felt throughout the match. While the Mexican traveling group made an incessant noise in support of their darling team throughout the encounter, Mohamed Salah, on the other hand, was the center of attention for most of the rest of the spectators who visibly and audibly displayed their affection for the “Egyptian King” every time the ball arrived in his vicinity.

The Egypt captain was determined to ensure his personal fanbase would be richly entertained and this he did with every touch on the ball to their great delight.

"I think all the stadium today was Egyptian!" Salah, who was named FIFA's Man of the Match for the game, said after the match. "I can hear that today. When you feel Egyptian support everywhere, I feel happy about that. I always feel love when my name is called or I feel support from them. I'm happy to hear that from them."

Despite the win, Liverpool will definitely have to raise their game considerably against Flamengo, who defeated Al Hilal 3-1 to secure a berth in the final, in order to avoid a repeat of the 2005 incident where they lost 0-1 in the final to another Brazilian team - São Paulo.

"The match is expected to be tough and it will be more difficult for sure, just because it's the next game and we have now to collect our bones. I don’t know who exactly will be ready for the next game, so we will see. Probably Flamengo’s season is over, they are here with the full squad pretty much as well. We have just to recover as quickly as possible and to make ourselves ready. But we saw Flamengo, of course, in the other semi-final and it was an open game for a long period," Klopp said.

The final match of the 2019 FIFA Club World Cup between Liverpool and Flamengo will be played on Saturday at the Khalifa International Stadium by 8:30 pm local time.

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