Share

Santos book club final spot

Toyota - South American champions Santos advanced to the Club World Cup final after beating Japanese club Kashiwa Reysol 3-1 on Wednesday, setting up a possible showdown between Barcelona star Lionel Messi and Brazil teenager Neymar.

The 19-year-old Neymar, who is touted to be the next big star in football, scored one of the Brazilian club's goals. Borges and Danilo scored the others for Santos, the former club of Pele.

Barcelona will take on Qatari club Al-Sadd in the other semi-final match on Thursday in Yokohama.

The Club World Cup final is set for Sunday in Yokohama.

Neymar, who injured his right leg late in the first half after a collision with a team-mate and temporarily left the field, scored the opening goal in the 19th minute. He took a pass from Ganso and moved to his right while guarded by two Kashiwa defenders, then switched the ball to his left foot and scored from 20m (yards).

Borges made it 2-0 in the 24th from the edge of the 18-yard box. He took the ball with his back to the net, dribbled to his right and then shot into the back right corner of the net over a diving Takanori Sugeno, the Kashiwa goalkeeper.

Kashiwa pulled a goal back in the 54th minute when defender Hiroki Sakai rose to meet a corner from Jorge Wagner and headed it past Santos goalkeeper Rafael Cabral. But Danilo made it 3-1 when he bent a 25m (yard) free kick around the Kashiwa wall in the 63rd.

Earlier, Mexican club Monterrey secured fifth place by rallying for a 3-2 win over Esperance Sportive of Tunisia.

Esperance Sportive took the lead when Yannick Ndjeng scored with a solo effort in the 31st minute, but Monterrey recovered with three quick goals. Hiram Mier equalised in the 39th, Aldo De Nigris made it 2-1 in the 44th and Jesus Zavala added the third two minutes after the break.

Khaled Mouelhi converted a penalty to pull one back for the Tunisian side in the 75th.

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Should the Proteas pick Faf du Plessis for the T20 World Cup in West Indies and the United States in June?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Yes! Faf still has a lot to give ...
67% - 946 votes
No! It's time to move on ...
33% - 465 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE