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| December 4, 2002 | Wednesday | Ramazan 28,1423 |
Ronaldo strikes as Real Madrid add another trophy
YOKOHAMA, Japan, Dec 3: Yokohama proved a happy hunting ground again for Ronaldo as his 14th minute opener paved the way for Real Madrid to beat Olimpia of Paraguay 2-0 in the World Club Cup on Tuesday.
Ronaldo, who scored both goals when Brazil beat Germany 2-0 in the World Cup final in June in his last appearance at International Stadium, brought a crowd of 66,000 to life with a superb finish to set the tone for a one-sided match.
“Maybe this is a lucky stadium for me but I think you have to make that luck for yourself. What is important is for Real to take this victory and this kind of form back to the Bernabeu,” he told reporters.
Despite having added the World Club Cup to the Champions League and European Super Cup titles they have won in their centenary year, Real have slipped to seventh in La Liga and trail leaders Real Sociedad by eight points.
But Ronaldo, who had been struggling with a ‘flu bug over the past week, gave Real an instant lift against Olimpia with a clinical strike to round off a three-man move involving Roberto Carlos and Raul.
A left-wing cross from the overlapping Roberto Carlos was cleverly dummied by Raul, allowing man-of-the-match Ronaldo to bury a right-foot shot from just inside the box.
“I had the same sort of motivation today as I did before the World Cup final. It was a different type of game but you need those pre-match nerves in a big game like this,” said Ronaldo, who won his first trophy with Real since his $44 million move from Inter Milan in September.
“Hopefully we can win the Champions League again this season and come back to Japan for the World Club Cup again.”
Real team mate Luis Figo, who set up the second goal for substitute Jose Maria Gutierres in the 84th minute, agreed that Ronaldo and Roberto Carlos had been the difference as Real erased the memory of the 2-1 defeat to Argentina’s Boca Juniors two years ago.
“What can I say? They are both great players and I think everyone saw their quality tonight,” said Figo.
“Maybe Ronaldo could have scored a couple more goals but we achieved what we set out to do, so we have to be happy.”
The nine-times European champions won the World Club Cup in 1998 with a 2-1 victory over Vasco da Gama of Brazil. Real also won the inaugural title in 1960, when the competition was played over two legs. It was replaced by a one-match format in 1980.
“This is a very special victory in our centenary season. Real are not just a collection of star players. It was a true team effort tonight and this win will give our season a big lift,” said Real manager Vicente del Bosque.—Reuters
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