MATCH REPORT

A win by 2 goals was what Corinthians needed to finish in first place and that was exactly what they got - and not even losing one man or a determined Al-Nassr could stop them. From the first whistle both teams cam out strong, with Mohsin Al Harthi picking up a yellow card for a foul on Luizão before the first minutee had passed. Moussa Saib was the first to try a shot on goal, a long range effort being kept out by Dida. The goalkeepers at both ends were forced to make difficult saves, and both were equal to the task until the 23rd minute, when Babkr fumbled what should have been an easy save from Ricardinho's shot, which slipped past him to give Corinthians the lead. But Al-Nassr refused to give up, and if their finishing was better they could have equaled the score as a string of chances were wasted. It looked to be all over in the 34th minute as Corinthians scored again, only to be ruled offside. But the game could still ahve gone either way until the end of the first half.

The second half continued in the same vein, both teams equal to each other and only some poor finishing by Luizão and Muhaisen Al Dosari kept the score line at 1 - 0. It looked as if luck might swing the Saudi Arabian teams way when Daniel of Corinthians was sent off in the 67th minute for a second bookable offence, but so determined were the Brazilians that even with 10 men they managed to make the second, winning goal in the 79th minute after team captain Rincón fired in a shot from close range after a strong build up from Corinthians. After that the Brazilians were impenetrable, and they almost made a third when Marcelinho stepped up to take a free-kick from the edge of the penalty box, but the post denied it. The game ended with a triumphant victory for Corinthians.