TP Mazembe became the first African team to reach the Club World Cup final Tuesday, beating Copa Libertadores champion Internacional 2-0 Tuesday.
Mazembe striker Mulota Kabangu scored the first goal in the 53rd minute, taking a pass in the area before turning and shooting past flat-footed goalkeeper Renan. Dioko Kaluyituka later slotted a shot past the diving Renan in the 85th to seal the victory and what FIFA on its website called "arguably the greatest ever win by an African club."
"This is a day of pride and we have succeeded," Mazabe's coach Lamine N'Diaye said. "I believe our players who I trained and played with them everyday are of high standard and achieved a great victory. This is good for the Congolese people. All Africans should be proud of this team."
Internacional appeared to be the better side in the early stages, transfixing the Africans with nifty passing and controlling a majority of the possession in the first half. It had several chances a point blank shot from Rafael Sobis in the first eight minutes that a diving goalkeeper Muteba Kidiaba saved. Its best chance came about 10 minutes later when midfielder Tinga headed a shot over the crossbar, tumbling into Kidiaba.
But Internacional couldn't breakthrough and the team from the Democratic Republic of Congo began to find weakness in the Brazilians defense in the second half. With the Brazilians pushing forward and attacking, Mazambe caught the Brazilians by surprise several times and it finally paid off with the first goal.a
The Brazilians stepped up their attack by shot in the final 20 minutes but shot after shot was denied by Kidiaba. And with the Brazilians putting most of their team forward, Mazembe's Kaluyituka cut in from the left and drilled an unstoppable 20-yard drive just inside the left post.
Internacional's coach Celso Roth, whose team has struggled domestically coming into the match, defended his team's attacking strategy. He said the team had a half dozen chances and lamented that it just couldn't convert against a "goalkeeper who was very good."
"We created opportunities but unfortunately we couldn't turn them into goals. Mazembe had the opportunities and scored," Roth told reporters. "Football is like this. Mazembe defended very well and I congratulate them. We played much better than them but we have this very bitter defeat."
Inter Milan play Asian champion Seongnam Ilhwa on Wednesday in the other semifinal match.
