Monterrey 3-1

Independent:

Chelsea reach Club World Cup final after beating Monterrey
European champions play South American champions Corinthians on Sunday

James Wrigley

Judging by this sparkling performance, Rafa Benitez’s rising sons have the world at their feet and they can go into Sunday’s Yokohama final against Corinthians with every chance of adding to the Champions League and FA Cup they won in May. 
It may be another chaotic season at Stamford Bridge, but here it was Monterrey in disarray. The CONCACAF champions were run ragged in every department as Juan Mata, Fernando Torres and an own-goal by Darvin Chavez, one of Mexico’s Olympic champions at Wembley last summer, sealed an emphatic Chelsea success.
A late consolation by striker Aldo De Nigris gave the scoreline a respectability Monterrey scarcely deserved. 
Interim Chelsea manager Benitez received further abuse from the thousand or so Chelsea fans who had made the 6,000-mile trip from London, a distance that entitles them to voice their opinions, but they may change their tune if the Spaniard continues to shape their fortunes in this vein.  
“We played with a high tempo, scored great goals and showed some good movement, so it was a great performance,” said Benitez, who can now look forward to his third Club World Cup final after guiding Liverpool to the showpiece in 2005 and Internazionale two years ago.
Japan’s second favourite English side were well supported here by the locals, as they have been since their arrival last weekend. The streets around this vast concrete bowl were littered with traders, many from London, selling blue scarves and shirts.
Inside there were echoes of west London too – plenty of echoes in a stadium barely a third full - with a rendition of “Stand up if you hate Tottenham” from a section of the ground temporarily transformed into the Shed.
Bentitez was jeered as soon as his face appeared on the big screen, to help him feel at home.
But his team played with a panache that even his most ardent critic must have admired, notwithstanding the fact Monterrey were such a disappointment.
The manager tinkered with the side that had beaten Sunderland last Saturday, this time with Oscar slotting into an attacking triumvirate behind Torres that also featured Mata and the irresistible Eden Hazard.
It was a combination that bewitched the Mexicans, who were also unsure what to do with David Luiz, at his fluid best alongside John Obi Mikel in an unfamiliar midfield role. Benitez hinted afterwards that he may be deployed there again. “It’s an option for the future, but it was mainly for this game,” he said.  “We knew they were good between the lines and had an option with their player coming inside from the left. We needed some energy in there, and David Luiz is a good passer with good energy, so he did well.”
Torres, buoyed by four goals in his previous two games under the tutelage of his old Liverpool manager, sent an early header over the bar and soon Luiz went close after nice work by Oscar.
The deep lying Severo Meza’s slip let in Oscar to win a corner and then Branislav Ivanovic was allowed to power in a header from Mata’s corner that narrowly missed the target.
As the blue tide continued to overwhelm Monterrey, Corinthians` players, fresh from their success in Nagoya, filed past us into their seats, where they huddled under blankets on a chilly evening. What they were seeing was a side capable of stopping them from adding to the Club World Cup they won on home soil in 2000.
And when the first goal arrived after 17 minutes – it was a wonder it took so long – it was fashioned by a Brazilian. Oscar and Ashley Cole exchanged passes, the England man running on to an exquisite backheel that will have earned nods of approval from his countrymen. Cole capitalised by crossing for Mata, who was able to take a touch before slotting past Jonathan Orozco with his left foot.
Mata, as if to underline the new-found spirit Benitez has talked about recently, held up six fingers in celebration – that being the number worn by Oriol Romeu, who was ruled out for the rest of the season following the knee injury he suffered at the Stadium of Light.   
Monterrey, competing here for the second year in succession, did change things around – as predicted by Benitez, a fan of the wily Victor Vucetich in the opposite dug-out. Jesus Corona switched over to the left side and was quick to torment Cesar Azpilicueta before crossing for Nigris to head over.
The striker’s prowess in the air was expected to be one of their chief weapons but he rarely troubled Gary Cahill or Ivanovic at the back and they went into the break having failed to register a single shot on target.
If that wasn’t demoralising enough, the game was put to bed within three minutes of the restart with a brace of goals that came gift-wrapped by the Mexicans.
Torres, fed by the brilliant Hazard, fired home with the aid of a heavy deflection for his 12th goal of the campaign - which is more than he managed in the whole of last season. It was also the first time he has scored in three successive games since his 50m pound move from Liverpool two years ago.
Monterrey had hardly had time to draw breath before Torres raced in from the left full of purpose, fed his Spanish compatriot Mata on the opposite side and his mis-hit shot was played beyond the keeper by Chavez.
Vucetich had predicted Chelsea would be a handful and how right he was. What he had hoped for, though, was that his team would meet the challenge. Alas, they may have been easy on the eye going forward but were calamitous at the back. 
Petr Cech wasn’t tested in Chelsea`s goal until he was forced into a smart save from a De Nigris shot midway through the second half.
He is sure to be busier on Sunday, but then his opposite number is unlikely to sleep easy after this.

Teams...
Monterrey (4-1-4-1)
Orozcol; Perez (Osorio 58), Mier, Basanta, Chavez; Meza (Solis 80); Corona, Delgado (Carreno 82), Ayovi, Cardoza; De Nigris.
Subs not used: Lopez, Morales, Moreno, Madrigal, Dautt, Garcia, Ibarra.
Goal: De Nigris, 90.

Chelsea (4-2-3-1)
Cech; Azpilicueta, Ivanovic, Cahill, Cole;
Mikel, Luiz (Lampard 62); Mata (Ferreira 74), Oscar, Hazard; Torres (Moses 79). Subs not used: Ramires, Marin, Turnbull, Bertrand, Piazon, Hilario, Saville.
Goals: Mata 17, Torres 46, Chavez og 48.


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Guardian:


Club World Cup: Chelsea cruise in to final with 3-1 win over Monterrey
• Chelsea to face Corinthians in Club World Cup final
• Fernando Torres scores again in comfortable victory

Dominic Fifield at Yokohama International Stadium

In many ways this was a glimpse of what awaits Chelsea in the new year: Thursday night football played to a murmur of noise and in front swathes of empty seats, and against opponents who appeared cowed by the whole experience. Yet, if the prospect of the Europa League fails to stir the senses as yet, a final in the Fifa Club World Cup on Sunday and the sight of Fernando Torres as a regular goalscorer should have the juices flowing.
This proved a stroll against Monterrey, the Mexican opposition deflated by the opening exchanges of the second period and pedestrian throughout, such a comfortable victory probably as therapeutic as their trip to the bowling alley to drive any lingering jet lag from the system. The Brazilian champions, Corinthians, will provide a sterner test in the final though they will confront a team whose conviction is rapidly returning. Those who booed whenever his image flickered across the big screens would shudder at the suggestion, and this was a mismatch that made judgment far from easy, but Rafael Benítez may slowly be having an effect.
Torres confirmed as much in the aftermath here. The striker has reason to be supportive of his compatriot's involvement at Stamford Bridge given their association from their Liverpool days, but the reality is the forward is looking spritely again. Fed with regular opportunities, he has scored five in his last three matches, his best scoring sequence since joining the club almost two years ago.
"As a team we're getting better and, individually, I feel much better now, scoring consistently," said Torres. "We're working better both defensively and offensively. It's about the team. We have had a hard time this season but, since Rafa Benítez came in as a coach, it is coming together and we are showing more determination."
That could be perceived as unfair on Roberto Di Matteo, whose name was chanted as normal around this arena in the 16th minute, but the reality is none of Torres's previous Chelsea managers‚ Carlo Ancelotti, André Villas-Boas or Di Matteo‚ has managed to coax consistency from the £50m striker. Benítez felt like Roman Abramovich's last throw of the dice and, albeit still early on and not yet against real pedigree, there are signs of progress.
The forward's reward here came within 19 seconds of the restart, a deflected finish over Jonathan Orozco doubling Chelsea's lead. As impressive was his dart and centre moments later, Juan Mata gathering at the far post to fire back across goal with Dárvin Chávez putting into his own net.
"That [improvement] is down to him and his team-mates, not me," said Benítez. "He's doing well. He's a bit sharper, has more confidence and the team's playing well. It's a run, and that's good for him and good for us. Hopefully it will continue. If we continue creating chances, he'll carry on scoring. We haven't done too much differently with him. We've analysed his movement and fitness, but it's more that he has more confidence so it's easier for him when the team creates a chance to score. And the team is creating more chances, which means he'll have more opportunities to score."
They generated plenty here, their lead established relatively early on when Oscar's clever backheel sent Ashley Cole scurrying into space, the full-back glancing up and then slipping a fine pass infield for the excellent Mata. The Spaniard was unmarked and took a touch before finishing classily beyond Orozco, his celebration a six-fingered salute to the absent No6, Oriol Romeu, who will miss the rest of the season with a knee injury. Thereafter, Chelsea stifled Monterrey's ability to respond with David Luiz restored to his childhood role in central midfield, presence disrupted the Mexicans' rhythm.
The Brazilian was dominant, his deployment at the base of midfield apparently a one-off, though Benítez will have been offered food for thought given Romeu's prolonged absence ahead of the transfer window next month. Frank Lampard replaced Luiz for the latter stages and was a reassuring presence against outclassed opposition, even if Aldo de Nigris's consolation did have Benítez chuntering his disapproval in the post-match assessment.
"When I talk about a winning mentality, always I talk about little details making the difference," he added. "The team has to think about winning, winning in style and not conceding because the goalkeeper likes clean sheets. They have to keep their concentration right to the end of the 90 minutes."
Such craving for perfection is forged partly on his memories of losing this competition with Liverpool back in 2005, when his team dominated São Paulo in the final, had three goals disallowed, struck the crossbar and ended up succumbing 1-0. Lessons must be learned from that disappointment, but the chance to claim a trophy beckons this weekend.

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Telegraph:

Monterrey 1 Chelsea 3 - Club World Cup semi-final
By Henry Winter, in Yokohama

Of the many significant elements to this appealing Club World Cup semi-final, ranging from an exquisite Oscar back-heel to another reminder of Juan Mata’s elegant enterprise, one of the most important came just before the end, bringing a negative that could prove a positive. A consolation goal for modest Monterrey screamed a warning to Chelsea of the need to concentrate against far more substantial opposition, Corinthians, if they are to become champions of the world.
Oscar, Mata and company can win this competition on Sunday. Corinthians are good, defensively tight, highly capable on the counter, but they are not the most formidable of teams to leave the shores of Brazil. If Chelsea are to prevail, they will simply need to take their chances and keep an eye on the movement of the likes of Paulinho and Paolo Guerrero. Careless concentration costs goals.
Like here. Chelsea had the game won, had the comforting cushion of goals from Mata, Fernando Torres and a Darvin Chavez aberration when they, and particularly Ashley Cole, dozed off and Aldo De Nigris swooped. An English side drilled by a former Liverpool manager should not need a lesson in the danger of a striker called Aldo.
“I’m not very happy with the goal we conceded,” said Rafael Benítez, Chelsea’s interim first-team coach. “When I talk about a winning mentality, always I talk about little details making the difference. They have to keep their concentration right to the end of the 90 minutes.”
Until then, Chelsea excelled. A few anxiety pains stained their game in the middle of the first half. Jesus Corona had clearly come to bury Cesar Azpilicueta and the Chelsea right-back endured some worrying moments. Otherwise, Benítez’s side were largely in control. His decision to start David Luiz in midfield, roaming upfield with John Obi Mikel diligently guarding the back door, was a success.
There was much in the buccaneering work of Luiz, the passing of Oscar and the finishing of Mata to delight the curious mix of fans in the Chelsea end where salary-men sat and celery-men stood. Around 900 fans had travelled from England, singing about Tottenham, Leicester and Leeds while the locals beamed benignly.
There was much to smile about. Shortly after the usual tribute to the dismissed Roberto Di Matteo, Chelsea fans celebrated taking the lead. Oscar released Cole and the left-back was off before delivering the ball perfectly for Mata to score.
Chelsea fans were loving it. The banners in blue indicated that their owners had journeyed from Adelaide, Melbourne, Indonesia, New York and Dorset. They certainly got good value for their air-miles, especially at the start of the second half with two goals in three minutes. First Eden Hazard found Torres, whose shot took a heavy deflection and beat Jonathan Orozco. “We have had a hard time this season but since Rafa Benítez came in as a coach it is coming together and we are showing more determination,” Torres later said.
Torres cut in from the left and bent the ball with the outside of his right boot across to the unmarked Mata. The rest was a blur of Mata’s ball back in, Chavez’s legs in a tangle and the ball nestling in the net.
Sunday will be “a football party”, according to Mata, but Chelsea must beware showing any bonhomie to Corinthians.

Match details
Monterrey (4-4-2): Orozco; Meza (Solis 82), Chavez, Basanta, Mier; Perez (Osorio 57), Ayovi, Corona, Cardozo; Delgado (Carreno 82), De Nigris.
Subs: Dautt (g), Lopez, Morales, Moreno, Madrigal, Garcia, Suazo, Jasso, Ibarra (g).
Chelsea (4-4-2): Cech, Azpilicueta, Ivanovic, Cahill, Cole; Mikel, Luiz (Lampard 63), Mata (Ferreira 74), Oscar; Hazard, Torres (Moses 79).
Subs: Turnbull (g), Ramires, Marin, Bertrand, Piazon, Sturridge, Terry, Saville, Hilario (g).
Referee: C Vera (Ecuador).


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Mail:

Monterrey 1 Chelsea 3: Blues cruise into final thanks to Torres and Mata... shame about the empty seats (and those who bothered to turn up STILL abused Benitez)


By Matt Barlow


It will be England against Brazil in the Club World Cup final on Sunday after Chelsea brushed aside the somewhat flimsy challenge of  Monterrey.

At least there will be some sort of atmosphere inside the 72,000-seater Yokohama Stadium to see Corinthians. The Brazilians have brought an estimated 20,000 fans from South America and will generate some noise and passion.

Chelsea’s semi-final against their Mexican opponents unfolded in a cold, still and often silent arena. Officially, there were 36,648 there, and they were removed from the pitch by the running track covered by green carpets.

Still, the European champions dealt well with the surreal surroundings in their tournament debut, starting at a healthy tempo, stealing an early lead through Juan Mata and crushing any thought of an unlikely comeback with two more three minutes after the interval.

Fernando Torres claimed the second, scoring for the third successive game, played a vital part in the third, an own goal, and there were other areas of encouragement for interim manager Rafa Benitez.

David Luiz looked comfortable in an unfamiliar midfield role, albeit it against tame opposition and Frank Lampard continued his recovery from injury with a substitute appearance shortly after an hour.

There was also a little discouragement for Benitez. About 900 Chelsea fans made the long trip from London and they still jeered the manager, sang, 'we don’t want you here' and climbed to their feet in the 16th minute for a burst of the now-familiar Roberto di Matteo song.

Japanese fans looked on somewhat bewildered, especially as, no sooner had they all finished singing, than their team went ahead.

Mata scored the goal, the chance created and served up on a plate by Ashley Cole, who was becoming used to this role. He lost at ten-pin bowling in Yokohama on Tuesday and his forfeit was to wait on his team-mates during dinner at the hotel.

Cole’s service did not impress in the dining room but he produced the perfect assist for Mata’s 11th goal in 25 games this season. The Spain international has scored in his last four games.

This put Chelsea in control and they could have scored more before the break had they not started to coast.

Monterrey were disappointing as a creative force. They failed the threaten Petr Cech’s goal until a glancing header from Aldo de Nigris flashed over in the 28th minute and did not force a save from the goalkeeper until the 70th minute.

The Mexicans – champions of North and Central America - were lacklustre at the back and easily sliced open. Luiz, relishing the freedom of a midfield role, managed to do it twice in the opening six minutes.

First, he burst down the middle of the pitch, traded passes with Oscar and curled a shot which dropped narrowly over from 25 yards. Then, he split the back-four with a wonderful pass to Eden Hazard, who was under absolutely no pressure but managed to miss the target.

His team drifted through to the break but Benitez was able to retrain focus at half-time and Chelsea emerged to kill the tie within three minutes of the restart. Torres struck inside 17 seconds. It came with the help of a huge deflection but it was his fifth in three games and went down well with the Japanese.

There was no doubting the technique involved in the third goal as Torres swerved a pass from left to right with the outside of his right boot to the feet of Mata. Oddly, Mata opted against shooting but as he searched for the return to Torres, the ball was diverted into the net by hapless left-back Darvin Chavez.

Lampard came on for Luiz and went close with virtually his first touch, clipping a right-footer wide from the edge of the penalty box.

There were no contentious calls for the goalline technology and the GoalRef ball which some of the Chelsea player thought felt hard and heavy in training did not cause the Londoners too many problems.

De Nigris pulled one back in stoppage time but it will be England against Brazil in the Club World Cup final, a decade after the nations met in Shizuoka in the quarter-finals of the World Cup.


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Mirror:

World Club Cup Blues cruise: Chelsea ease past Monterrey into Club World Cup final

Blues were barely tested by the Mexicans but will face stiffer competition from Corinthians on Sunday

From Martin Lipton in Yokohama

You know a manager is happy when he starts nit-picking.
And even if the Chelsea fans seem to think Rafa Benitez is footballing poison, the Spaniard himself is becoming happier and happier.
Putting hapless Monterrey to the sword in Yokohama was always just a warm-up act for the showdown with Corinthians.
It was, after all, the champions of Europe against the team currently seventh in Mexico.
Yet 12 goals in three games, vibrant football including five strikes - unless FIFA take this one off him - for Fernando Torres have taken Chelsea back to where they were before the winter crisis that cost Roberto Di Matteo his job.
 "I think it was a difficult time when I came in," said Benitez, whose reign teetered on the brink of a premature end as three games without a win came against the background of the fan unrest that has still not abated.
"It's not easy with a new manager, six days and two games. But now the team knows what we want to do. They have more confidence and are enjoying their football a bit. 
"We still need more time to keep improving. I'm not very happy with the goal we conceded: we won, which is fine, but still these little things can make a difference in a final, for example."
That gripe, over the sloppiness that affected his side with the game long since won, was the key sign that Benitez believes his messages are getting across.
Juan Mata's terrific execution at the end of a move of real quality involving Oscar and Ashley Cole was followed by two in three minutes at the start of the second period, Torres claiming the first despite a big deflection before Mata's cross was turned into his own net by Darvin Chavez.
It rendered Aldo Di Nigris' injury-time goal meaningless, but Benitez insisted: "When I talk about a winning mentality, I always talk about little details making the difference.
"The team has to think about winning, winning in style and not conceding because the goalkeeper likes clean sheets. They have to keep their concentration right to the end of the 90 minutes."
These are the kind of criticisms a manager can make when he knows things are moving in the right direction.
In truth, Monterrey were opponents in name only, never close to the Blues physically or technically, bewildered and befuddled by the movement of Mata, Torres, Oscar, Eden Hazard and David Luiz, who again operated impressively in midfield.
"I know David from Benfica, where he was playing centre-back, left full-back, right full-back, defensive midfielder," the manager explained. "I wanted to put someone between the lines who could stop them."
Luiz responded and the scoreline could have been more, Chelsea doing only what they needed to, although the watching Corinthians players, huddled under their blankets in the third-full arena, will know Benitez' side are here with a purpose.
Whether or not he keeps the goal, Torres looks a man revitalised and reborn under the manager for whom he prospered at Liverpool.
"If you create chances, he will score goals," said Benitez. "The last week or so is down to him and his team-mates, not me. He's sharper, has more confidence and the team's playing well."
Torres said: "We have had a hard time this season but since Rafa Benitez came in it is coming together and we are showing more determination.
"As a team we're getting better and coming together as one unit, working better both defensively and offensively. It's about the team but individually I feel much better now, scoring consistently."
If that continues, Roman Abramovich will pat himself on the back for the big call he made last month.
But Benitez knows Chelsea have to be about devouring trophies - even one as maligned as this one remains in Europe - or they are nothing.
Seven years ago, he was in charge of a Liverpool team that was in total command of the Club World Cup Final against Corinthians' bitter city rivals Sao Paulo, yet lost the match.
Benitez recalled: "We dominated. We scored three and all of them were disallowed. We hit the crossbar, too.
"You have to take your chances.
""So you can never be confident when you play a final, because anything can happen. A final is a final, so we have to be aware and ready."

Chelsea Cech 7; Azpilicueta 6, Ivanovic 6, Cahill 7, Cole 7; Luiz 7 (Lampard, 63, 6), Mikel 6; Mata 8 (Ferreira, 74, 5), Oscar 6, Hazard 7; Torres 7
Monterrey Orozco 6; Perez 4 (Osorio, 56, 5), Mier 6, Basanta 6, Chavez 5; Meza 6; Corona 6, Ayovi 6, Cardozo 6, Delgado 5; de Nigris 6
Referee: Carlos Vera (Ecuador)
Man of the match Mata - the matador has sharpened his blade and now fancies some Brazilian beef

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Sun:

Monterrey 1 Chelsea 3

WORLD AT JUAN ... Mata gets the ball rolling in Yokohama

FERNANDO TORRES scored his fifth goal in three games as Chelsea eased into the Club World Cup final.
Juan Mata gave the Blues a first-half lead against Mexican giants Monterrey before the in-form Torres made it two after the break.
A Darvin Chavez own goal then put Rafa Benitez's men further ahead before Aldo de Nigris pulled back a late consolation for the CONCACAF Champions League winners.
Chelsea will now face Brazil's Corinthians in Sunday's final in Yokohama.
And victory for the European champions will give interim boss Benitez his first piece of silverware less than four weeks after landing the job.
Goal hero Mata said: “For us it is a very important tournament, we want to win this trophy, to be world champions and on Sunday we will try our best to win.
“We have confidence but we know that Corinthians are a really good team, one of the best in South America.
“They have a lot of supporters here with them but we have our supporters as well and it will be a football party and hopefully we will win.”

Goalline technology was in place for the first time in a match involving a Premier League team.
But it was not to be needed in a semi-final clash as one-sided as most predicted at a half-empty Nissan Stadium.
Benitez fielded a strong side although surprised many by starting David Luiz in midfield.
The Brazilian, though, looked comfortable in his new position and nearly set up an early opener but Eden Hazard was wasteful from six yards.
Oscar and Branislav Ivanovic then both had chances to break the deadlock before Mata made his mark.
Ashley Cole put the ball on a plate for the Spaniard who sidefooted home.
Ivanovic could have made it two from a corner but his header cleared the bar.
And then the Mexicans nearly equalised out of nothing when De Nigris got in front of Petr Cech to nod narrowly over.
Torres had a poor first half but it took less than 20 seconds after the break for him to add to his recent goalscoring tally.
Hazard got round the back before squaring for the former Liverpool star to score via a huge deflection.
It was the first time Torres had netted in three successive games since his £50million move from the Reds.
The Blues sealed victory two minutes later when Torres’ low cross found Mata, whose ball back across goal hit the unfortunate Chavez and trickled in.
Chelsea were now rampant and Hazard weaved his way through but shot too close to Jonathan Orozco.
The travelling Blues faithful still had time to abuse Benitez — reacting with bile each time his face was shown on the big screen.
But jeers turned to cheers when Frank Lampard came off the bench to replace Luiz.
Monterrey did pull one back — Di Nigris beating Cech in stoppage time from a narrow angle.
But it had been a comfortable run-out for Benitez’s team who will be in confident of lifting the trophy on Sunday night.


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