 Official programme of the tournament | |||||||
| Event | 2005 FIFA Club World Championship | ||||||
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| Date | 18 December 2005 | ||||||
| Venue | International Stadium, Yokohama[1] | ||||||
| Referee | Benito Archundia (Mexico)[1] | ||||||
| Attendance | 66,821[1] | ||||||
The 2005 FIFA Club World Championship final was an association football match played between São Paulo of Brazil, the CONMEBOL club champions, and Liverpool of England, the UEFA club champions, on 18 December 2005 at the International Stadium Yokohama, Japan. It was the final match of the 2005 FIFA Club World Championship, a competition for the winners of the primary cup competitions of FIFA's continental members. The Club World Championship replaced the Intercontinental Cup, which both teams had competed in before. São Paulo had won the Intercontinental Cup twice in 1992 and 1993, while Liverpool had lost twice in 1981 and 1984.
The teams qualified for the championship by winning their continent's primary cup competition. São Paulo won the 2005 Copa Libertadores, defeating Brazilian team Atlético Paranaense 5–1. Liverpool won the 2004–05 UEFA Champions League, defeating Italian team Milan 3–2 in a penalty shootout after the match had finished 3–3. Both teams played one match in the championship en route to the final. São Paulo beat 2005 AFC Champions League winners Al-Ittihad 3–2, while Liverpool beat 2005 CONCACAF Champions' Cup winners Deportivo Saprissa 3–0.
Watched by a crowd of 66,821, São Paulo took the lead in the first half when Mineiro scored. Liverpool missed a number of chances to equalise in the first half. In the second half they had the majority of the possession and also had three goals disallowed. Despite all their chances they were unable to score against São Paulo who held on to win the match 1–0.