Chelsea at the 2012 FIFA Club World Cup: A retrospective report
Semifinal versus Monterrey in Yokohama
Chelsea walks out on the pitch at the International Stadium Yokohama (now known simply as Nissan Stadium) in blue kits emblazoned with gold markings. The Blues kitted with a shirt deserving of being worn by the champions of Europe. Whether or not that was the original intention before Chelsea won the Champions League some months prior remains a mystery to this day. But even if it is a coincidence, it is a happy—and might I add, a magnificent—one.
The first individual that catches is the eye is the manager. Rafael Benitez—expressionless and calculating—watches on from the sidelines, managing a Chelsea side, evoking plenty of emotions. I think I speak for the collective when I say that joy wasn’t one of them. Benitez sends his team out lined up in a 4-2-3-1 formation with a young Cesar Azpilicueta on the right side of the defense; he is joined by Petr Cech in goal, along with Branislav Ivanovic, Gary Cahill and Ashley Cole in the back line. Benitez’s innovation has David Luiz playing as the freer of the two defensive midfielders with the reliable John Obi Mikel sitting back. Fernando Torres leads the line, supported by the trio of Juan Mata (oh, Juan!), Oscar and Eden Hazard.
The opponent, Monterrey, is unwavering if unremarkable. A young kid with No. 14 on his back stands out. Jesus Corona would go on to enjoy a successful career across the Atlantic, but despite the constant links, would never arrive at Chelsea.
It hasn’t been long since the match kicked off and Luiz is already showing his prowess in his new, unshackled role. The Brazilian flair is unmistakable as he glides past waves of Monterrey defenders in the opening minutes of the match with long, fluid and almost hypnotic strides before curling an effort at goal narrowly over. Shielding the ball from two opponents, he threads a ball through to Hazard just minutes later—from deep inside his own half, perfectly weighted—which the then-unrefined Belgian fails to guide inside the post. Luiz would win the Silver Ball at the tournament, which I’m entirely convinced was awarded to him based on those two minutes of play alone. Luiz is not the only one putting on a show either.
The combinations between Hazard, Mata and Oscar are beginning to click. Hazard is electric, Mata is creative and Oscar is relentless—this is the infamous MaZaCar our elders gushed about. Eventually, the goals arrive. Mata scores first—a touch to set up and a touch to finish—from the edge of the box. Torres finds the net via a deflection a minute past the interval, and, to add to Monterrey’s woes, Darwin Chavez puts one into his net to compound Chelsea’s lead to three goals. Aldo De Nigris pulls one back in stoppage time, a mere consolation.
The Blues stroll into the final.