In the early morning of December 16, the second round of the 2023 FIFA Club World Cup ushered in a fierce matchup, with the host Jeddah United facing the African champion Cairo Nationals. The result was a surprise, Jeddah United lost 1:3 to Cairo Nationals, ending the journey ahead of schedule. Karim Benzema missed a penalty and pulled one back late in the game, but it couldn't change the outcome.
In the other match, AFC Champions League champions Urawa Red Diamonds eliminated CONCACAF champions León 1-0, making all the Club World Cup semi-finals possible.
FIFA plans to expand the Club World Cup to 32 teams in 2025, marking the last edition of the traditional seven-team competition. The ownership of the championship has attracted much attention and aroused widespread attention from fans.
In this year's Club World Cup hosted by Saudi Arabia, the Saudi league champion automatically qualified, and Jeddah United became the representative team, led by stars such as Karim Benzema and N'Golo Kante. Jeddah United beat Auckland City 3-0 in the first round, but in the second round, they face African champions Cairo Nationals.
The specific competition review is as follows:
In the 19th minute, Jeddah United player Kadesh was awarded a penalty for handball in the penalty area, and then Malur took the penalty to give Cairo Nationals a 1-0 lead.
In the 43rd minute, the Cairo national players were also awarded a penalty for handball in the penalty area, but Benzema's penalty was saved, and Jeddah United continued to fall behind 0:1.
In the 59th minute, El Shahat scored from inside the penalty area, emulating Ronaldo's iconic SIU celebration and helping Cairo Nacional extend its lead 2:0.
In the 62nd minute, Ashur's push shot scored again, giving Cairo Nacional a 3-0 lead.
In the 92nd minute, Benzema scored from close range to help Jeddah United pull one back 1:3.
At the end of the match, Jeddah United lost 1:3 to Cairo National and failed to advance to the semi-finals.
Jeddah United excelled statistically, with 58 per cent possession, 13-9 shots on goal, 6-5 shots on target, 3-0 in corners, 1-0 in hitting the woodwork, 4-3 in great chances, and 13-2 in crosses. However, the result of the game was a 1-3 defeat to Cairo Nationals, which showed that Jeddah United's offensive efficiency was quite low, and people felt that they were not wronged by being eliminated early.
In the other match, AFC Champions League champions Urawa Red Diamonds take on CONCACAF champions León. In the end, Urawa Red Diamonds eliminated Leon 1:0 with Schalke's substitute goal in the second half and successfully advanced. They will face Manchester City on December 20 at 2am GMT. Meanwhile, Cairo's semi-final opponent is Copa Libertadores champion Fluminense, who will kick off at 2 a.m. Beijing time on December 19.
Manchester City are on the verge of their first Club World Cup journey as Champions League champions and their boss Pep Guardiola is leading the team in contention for the title.