Jürgen Klopp struggled to find the words to describe Liverpool’s triumph in the Club World Cup before settling on “outstanding” and “sensational”. Victory in extra time over Flamengo was, the Liverpool manager said, just reward for the incredible desire his players have brought to every challenge.
Roberto Firmino’s goal decided a gripping final in Doha and delivered Liverpool’s first world title at the fourth attempt. It means Klopp’s team, 10 points clear in the Premier League with a game in hand on second‑placed Leicester, have won the Champions League, the Uefa Super Cup and the Club World Cup inside six months.
“In moments like this I struggle to find the right words to describe my respect for the boys,” the Liverpool manager said. “It is incredible. It was an incredible performance against a very good opponent. I saw so many sensationally good performances. The atmosphere was great and Flamengo should be proud of their team but I think we deserved the win. We were the better side.”
Asked whether the world championship would propel Liverpool’s bid to win the English title for the first time since 1990, Klopp replied: “I have no idea. This is a wonderful night for us, for the club and everyone who is for us. It is a tough period for us, we play again in five days, but game after game they show the desire to win the next game and the next challenge. Where it leads I don’t know but all we could do tonight was win the Club World Cup for the first time. I said before the game I didn’t know how it would feel but now I can say it feels outstanding, sensational. I am so proud of the boys. I couldn’t feel better.”
The one negative on the night for the European champions was an ankle injury to Alex Oxlade‑Chamberlain that resulted in the midfielder leaving the stadium on crutches. The unfortunate England international will be assessed when Liverpool return home on Sunday but Klopp did not rule out the possibility of a serious problem.
He said: “I have spoken to Ox. When he landed, he got a kick and rolled over on it. He feels OK but of course it’s far from perfect. We have to see if it’s a stretched ligament or partly ruptured or ruptured. A big shadow on tonight.”
