| Advertisement |
Dec. 22 (UPI) -- Brazilian striker Roberto Firmino scored on a crafty extra-time strike to lift Liverpool to a dramatic win against Flamengo in the Club World Cup final. Firmino's filthy finish came in the 99th minute of the 1-0 win Saturday at Khalifa International Stadium in Doha, Qatar.
Advertisement
"To be world champions is incredible," Firmino told FIFA.com. "It's a unique feeling. Wearing the badge of world champions for the next year will be amazing."
Liverpool center midfielder Jordan Henderson laced a perfect pass ahead for Reds forward Sadio Mane to spark the game's lone scoring sequence. Mane brought in the pass before stopping at the top of the box. Mane then did a turn and smacked a pass into the middle of the box, finding a sprinting Firmino.
The Liverpool star tapped the ball with the outside of his right boot, forcing his dribble inside and juking out several Flamengo players. Firmino then ripped a shot into the near-post netting, beating Flamengo goalie Diego Alves.
"I couldn't be more happy for [Firmino] that he could score that goal because before the game we spoke about a lot about what this competition means to Brazil, to South American people and especially Brazilian people," Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said. "And we have two Brazilians and he's one of them.
"It means the world to him and it helped us a lot. On top of that, it was a sensational goal, completely calm. You see the last goal helped obviously to bring these things back and I'm really, really delighted for him."
The Reds face Leicester City in Premier League play at 3 p.m. EST Thursday at the King Power Stadium in Leicester, England.
