FIFA Club World Cup finals: 5 memorable moments
And so Real Madrid are through to the finals, gunning to become the first side to successfully retain the prestigious Club World Cup trophy. They now face Brazil's Gremio on Saturday, in what is nothing but a preparatory outing before the all-important El Clasico in the following week.
Nonetheless, like the years gone by, this one too wouldn't be short of thrills and chills. So building on that, we have witnessed some really exciting moments in the finals of the competition over the years. Right from its inception in 2000 to the last one in 2016, the Club World Cup has given us memories worth cherishing, some finals that are never too old to be discussed or be a part of sports columns.
Let's look back at five of them; five most memorable moments from a FIFA Club World Cup final.
#5 Edmundo's penalty howler makes Corinthians the first world champions
Vasco da Gama, a small club from Brazil, were living the dream. Having defeated Manchester United 3-1 to seal a spot in the finals, the first ever world championship beckoned Romario and co. Moreover, they had a chance to claim the prize in their own hometown, Rio De Janeiro.
Entering the Marcana gates riding on an elephant, Vasco poured their sweat and blood to keep the might of Corinthians at an arm's length. With the game deadlocked at 0-0, a shootout followed, and Marcelinho's miss on Coringao's last attempt gave the Rio outfit a breather after Gilberto fluffed his lines.
Edmundo stepped up for Vasco with the ambitions of equalling the scores, and painfully blasted a shot into row Z, handing Corinthians the first ever title after a 4-3 shootout victory.
Vasco da Gama's dream run had come to an agonizing end.