Thanks for joining me for this. Sorry Gremio couldn’t offer us anything else going forward. Until we meet again (tomorrow for Barcelona v Deportivo).
Here’s the match report from a night when Real Madrid added another trophy to their cabinet.
Just waiting on the match report, hence me dragging this out. You can email in your questions if you really want.
Manchester City have just seen off Tottenham on their path to world domination, so Real Madrid might face some stiffer competition for the title next season.
Fireworks are flying up into the air now. The pyrotechnics really do top off what has been a good day for Real. Just the tough task of Barcelona next week for them now.
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Ramos lifts the trophy, which is sweet. The shiny tissue player is being pushed into the air. It’s really inspiring for us all.
“What a night for the third choice goalkeeper,” says the commentator. Calm down, mate.
Infantino is now the star of the show as he hangs medals around necks. A truly great performance of the big dog.
Real Madrid are doing a guard of honour for Gremio, which is a nice touch.
The players from the third and fourth place playoff are getting their medals now. This could take a while.
Gold goes to Luka Modric who looks more genuinely happy with the award. He gets a hug from Ronaldo as they pose on the podium.
The almost certainly fictional ‘Silver Award’ is handed to Cristiano Ronaldo. He looks like he pretends he cares.
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The Fifa Fair Play award goes to Real Madrid, which is ironically collected by red card enthusiast Sergio Ramos.
The officials have received their medals, which is nice. A smattering of applause for the men in black.
Infantino, Florentino Perez and assorted others have arrived for the ageing white man part of the ceremony.
Lots of women have turned up with medals to hand out to the winners and losers. Fifa really know how to drag out a ceremony.
There are a few Gremio fans crying in the stands, probably because they’ve travelled a long way to no see their team not have a shot on target.
Raphael Varane is speaking in Spanish, which is nice. He says “we’re very happy” with winning five trophies in 2017, which is understandable. Gremio’s skipper Geromel is chatting in Portuguese and said his team worked very hard.
Real Madrid are getting to celebrate with the wonderful tunes of Coldplay in the background, which is the sound of sporting success.
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It’s a second consecutive Club World Cup title for Real Madrid and a fifth trophy in 2017 for Zinedine Zidane and his side. They were far superior on the night in Abu Dhabi and really should have won by more against a team who failed to have a shot on target.
Full-time: Real Madrid 1-0 Gremio
It won’t go down as being a classic of the genre. Real Madrid are deserved victors as they actually tried to attack. Gremio defended well but couldn’t do anything going the other way. Ronaldo will love the fact his free-kick won his team the trophy, too.
90+2 min: Gremio spend the entire minute passing the ball around slowly. That’s not going to help you, lads.
90+1 min: Bale sets up Modric on the edge of the box but the midfielder sends the ball into orbit rather than the goal. Wastes a few seconds, though.
90 min: Cortez sends in a cross from the left but it goes straight out of play. Sums up Gremio’s attacking today. We have three minutes of injury-time to come!!
89 min: Still no shot on target from Gremio. You get what you deserve when you fail to create one half-decent chance.
88 min: Ramos smashes the ball down to the other end and then pretends Jael caught him to waste a few seconds. Classy.
86 min: Gremio haven’t had enough of the ball to make an impact. They might need to throw caution to the wind soon. They’re yet to have a shot on target.
84 min: The final throw of the dice from Gremio as Michel heads off and Maicon comes on. Don’t worry it’s not the one from City.
83 min: Bale is back on his feet and tries to bend one in with the outside of his foot from 16 yards but the goalkeeper is equal to it and tips the shot over.
82 min: Grohe gets the better of Ronaldo after Ramos played in the forward, but the Portuguese’s strike from inside the area was palmed away from the goalkeeper. In the build-up, Bale was cleaned out by a Gremio defender for his own amusement.
80 min: Marcelo dispossesses a very tired Edilson to start at counter attack which ends with Kross taking on a shot from 30 yards but the ball goes a long way over the bar.
79 min: Gareth Bale is coming on, which means all good British fans can finally take an interest in this game. Will the Welshman be able to make an impact? Benzema is the man going off.
77 min: Marcelo Grohe has just kicked the ball from his penalty area to Keylor Navas! Not what you want when chasing a goal.
76 min: Kross collects a pass just outside the area from where he lays the ball off to an onrushing Benzema whose shot is deflected into the goalkeeper’s arms.
75 min: Vazquez is straight into the action as he enjoys some passes with Ronaldo, who sends the ball to the byline for the sub to cross but he can’t beat the first man and it’s cleared.
73 min: Vazquez is coming on for Isco, as Real Madrid might think the forward’s pace can stretch Gremio as they look for an equaliser.
72 min: Gremio are playing a lot higher up now and Real Madrid see their job as being to take any potential sting out of the game.
70 min: Everton, who scored the winner in the semi-final against Pachuca, is now on, replacing Ramiro. The striker really should be a target for the Toffees - just imagine the marketing campaigns!
67 min: Gremio find some space for the first time, as Cortez and Jailson link up down the left but the latter’s cross is met with the problem of having no one in the box and it goes straight through.
65 min: Off the post! Modric is the latest player to shoot from distance, as the midfielder hits a low, bouncing drive from 25 yards but Marcelo Grohe reads it well and tips the ball onto the post.
62 min: Gremio are making a change up top as Jael comes on for Barrios, who has done nothing. Can Jael get Gremio out of Ja-el (to be read as ‘jail’)?
61 min: Real Madrid are well on top here and Casemiro does his best to double the lead by smashing in a shot from 25 yards but it’s straight at Marcelo Grohe who punches his compatriot’s effort clear.
60 min: It all went very scrappy in the box as Modric tried to break through but a Gremio defender on the floor stops him and Benzema before the ball ends up with Ronaldo but his audacious back heeled shot goes well wide.
58 min: Real Madrid have a goal disallowed after Marcelo’s cross was knocked down by Benzema for Ronaldo to smash home from around the penalty spot. The assistant referee raised his flag early on, as he wrongly adjudged the Frenchman to be offside.
56 min: Gremio need to find some sort of response and considering their only shot of the game so far was free-kick, they might need to make a few changes.
GOAL! It’s a great strike from Ronaldo who calmly gets one to go up and over the wall from 30 yards out. It wasn’t a great structure from the Gremio players and the goalkeeper will be upset that the ball could just bounce in.
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GOAL! Real Madrid 1-0 Gremio (Ronaldo, 53)
Great free-kick from Ronaldo.
52 min: Gremio are shouting for a penalty after Ramiro is clattered into by Ramos in the box. It was a needless push from the Real skipper and a pointless thing to do but he gets away with it.
51 min: Ronaldo gets his first sight of goal of the second half as he dribbles the ball to the edge of the error before slicing well wide with his left foot.
49 min: Carvajal battles with Fernandinho to make sure Real Madrid get a corner. The resulting set-piece once again doesn’t threaten as it goes over everyone in the box and harmlessly out the other side.
48 min: Kroos swings in a free-kick from the left-hand touchline but Ramos mis-times his jump and the ball goes out of play.
Kick-off
46 min: Here we go again as Gremio start us off.
The players are wandering back out. No changes by the looks of it. Can Real Madrid win their second successive Club World Cup?
Now the DJ is getting everyone to scream. He’s speaking in English which seems a touch odd in a game between a Spanish side and a Brazilian one.
Half-time entertainment in Abu Dhabi is...Lou Vega’s Mambo No.5. What a time to be alive.
The official data claims Real Madrid had 64 per cent possession and nine shots (but only one on target) but it has been a dominant effort from the Champions League winners.
Half-time: Real Madrid 0-0 Gremio
It’s been all Real Madrid so far but they’ve failed to test the goalkeeper. Gremio didn’t look like they’d kick at at one point but have steadily grown into the game even though they’ve cause few problems.
45 min: We’re heading into one minute of injury time.
43 min: The latest Real Madrid man to foul Luan is Toni Kroos who clips the Brazilian to ensure an early demise of a counter-attack.
41 min: There’s been some superb individual skill from Real Madrid but things are yet to click as a collective so far. They’ve had enough of the ball but can’t find a killer pass.
39 min: Ronaldo does his traditional pose before striking a free-kick from 35 yards just over the bar. It had good shape and dip but didn’t get down in time to cause the goalkeeper problems.
38 min: Ronaldo gets the other side of the defence but ponders inside the box and is tackled before he can get a shot away.
36 min: Isco does some trickier on the left to send Gremio the wrong way before laying the ball off to Marcelo whose cross finds Benzema at the back post but his volley is off target and cleared by a defender.
34 min: Carvajal to the rescue as Gremio break down the right but Barrios’s cross into the box doesn’t find a team-mate as the right-back positions himself well to head clear for a corner.
32 min: Marcelo sets off a Real Madrid attack with a nice trick to get his team out of trouble but it comes to nothing. The game is getting broken up now, much to Gremio’s delight as they find their feet.
29 min: After some pointless debating about where the ball was placed by the referee, Edilson steps up to smash the free-kick from 35 yards but it goes just over Navas’s bar, with the goalkeeper very concerned the swerving shot was heading in.
27 min: Ronaldo gets on the ball for the first time in a while and dribbles at the Gremio defence but his attack is ended by when falls over. Down the other end Casemiro is booked for a foul on Luan as the Real Madrid takes down his compatriot long after the ball had gone.
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25 min: Modric works some space on the edge of the area and then strikes it across goal but his low drive goes inches wide of the post.
23 min: Real Madrid are getting a lot of corners here and with Ramos and Varane waiting for them they could soon get something from one. The latest is headed by a diving Ramos and a waiting Casemiro can’t react quickly enough to score.
20 min: Modric gets to the byline on the left and chips over a cross to Carvajal who is waiting 16 yards from goal but his perfectly struck volley is blocked on the line by a waiting defender. The corner almost results in a goal as Varane knocks down Kroos’s cross but the goalkeeper just beats Ronaldo to the ball.
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19 min: Gremio get on the ball for the first time but it’s just given straight back to Real after a few successful passes. The Brazilians are looking a touch nervous here - it’s a big night for them but they need to calm themselves down.
18 min: Isco sets Benzema away down the left but more committed defending puts an end to the attack as Geromel tackles the Frenchman. I’ll let you know when Gremio put two passes together.
16 min: Casemiro swings a cross into the box from deep but it just has too much pace on for Varane who fails to make contact when he’s just six yards out.
14 min: Gremio really have not touch the ball here and looks like they could be worn down by Real Madrid if things carry on like this. Modric tries to put in a cross but it’s blocked out for a corner.
12 min: Varane goes on a mazy run down the pitch and makes it into the area where he is tackled but the ball falls to his compatriot, Benzema, who shoots well over, via a deflection.
8 min: It’s all Real Madrid so far as Gremio struggle to get near their European opponents. Could be a long game for them at this rate.
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6 min: Ronaldo is tried to get himself into the game by using some stepovers to confused the Brazilians but they’re not having an of it and force him sideways.
3 min: Real Madrid are having the majority of the ball here and are looking very comfortable with it.
Kick-off
And we’re off at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium!
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Luan spent quite a lot of the summer being linked with a Premier League move, so it will be exciting for all to see what the attacker is all about. The man himself says he’s in no rush to leave but his club might think differently if he has a great game today as it might push his price up.
Do not forget that you can email or tweet me (the details are above), which means we can have lots of fun while the mainstream folk follow Manchester City v Spurs.
The stadium is filling up quite nicely in Abu Dhabi as Real Madrid get themselves warm ahead of the final.
📸⚽️🔥 #RMCWC | #HalaMadrid pic.twitter.com/9j3F02u1UE
— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadrid) December 16, 2017
Real Madrid’s full strength starting XI is further proof that they’re desperate to add this title to their long list of honours but Gremio’s Luan has warned them to not expect an easy ride.
“Every side in the tournament has got quality. We had a tough game against Pachuca, and Madrid had a tough game too. The matches have been close,” Luan said.
“What we have to do is show why we became South American champions. We’ve got the quality to take on Madrid.”
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A Golden Goal to remember in this competition when Manchester United failed to have an impact.
Gareth Bale is only on the bench today but Zinedine Zidane is very happy to have the Welshman back in his squad, especially as he scored the winner against Al Jazira.
“I’m very happy to see Gareth with us again,” said Zidane.
“He looks very happy to me and very pleased to be with his team-mates.
Want to know a little more to know about Grêmio? This is a decent place to start:
Grêmio coach Renato Gaucho seems like a fun chap. Despite having a decent if a somewhat unremarkable career, he is convinced he was better than Cristiano Ronaldo, stating:
But it’s very easy for those who didn’t see me play to only praise Cristiano Ronaldo. I applaud him in every way.
“To know who played better, you would have to talk with a lot of people who also saw me play.
“So, my opinion remains the same. I admire him a lot, but that’s my opinion. Everyone has their own opinion, I have mine too.”
Real Madrid v Grêmio line-ups
Real Madrid: Navas, Carvajal, Ramos, Varane, Marcelo, Kroos, Casemiro, Modric, Ronaldo, Benzema, Isco.
Subs: Casilla, Moha, Nacho, Bale, Hernandez, Vazquez, Llorente, Achraf, Asensio, Mayoral, Kovacic, Ceballos.
Grêmio: Marcelo Grohe, Edilson, Pedro Geromel, Kannemann, Cortez, Jailson, Michel, Ramiro, Luan, Fernandinho, Lucas Barrios.
Subs: Victor, Grassi, Bressan, Rodrigo, Thyere, Oliveira, Moura, Kaio, Maicon, Everton, Jael.
Referee: Cesar Ramos (Mexico)
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The Brazilians are in town and seem to be pretty ruddy excited by the whole occasion.
Tricolor a caminho do Zayed Sports City! 🇪🇪🇦🇪💪🏽⚽️🏆 #NósVamoAcabáComOPlaneta #ClubWC pic.twitter.com/EBzOKEdxEO
— Grêmio FBPA (@Gremio) December 16, 2017
Preamble
Good afternoon! This is the one they’ve all been waiting for (in Madrid and Porto Alegre). Real Madrid almost did not make it this far as they stumbled through their semi-final with Al Jazira, while Grêmio defeated Pachuca to face their European counterparts.
Make no mistake about it, this game is huge for Real Madrid. The fans really do want to win this competition and it is quite a big deal in Spain, and lifting it later today would be their third Fifa World Club Cup title, meaning they would equal Barcelona’s record, something they are always keen to do. Their league form means they are unlikely to challenge Barcelona for the title and progression in the Champions League is far from certain, as they will come up against Paris Saint-Germain and Neymar. Gareth Bale is available for Real Madrid once again, scoring in the semi-final.
Grêmio are packed full of talent with the likes of Arthur and Luan tipped for big-money moves to Europe in the next 12 months. The former has been heavily linked with Barcelona and was even photograph in a azulgrana shirt, something he has since had to apologise for. Sadly, he won’t actually be playing because he’s injured, which is bad news for the narrative. You may not recognise the name of Renato Gaúcho but the Grêmio coach thinks he was better than Cristiano Ronaldo as a player.
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