Manchester City claimed a comfortable 4-0 win over Fluminense in the FIFA Club World Cup 2023 final in Saudi Arabia, but things got spicy between two players after the final whistle.
As soon as the game finished, Kyle Walker and Felipe Melo got into it. The fight didn’t last long, as the rest of the players on the field immediately intervened. But the moment still went viral in a matter of seconds.
Felipe Melo is known for being vocal and having a strong character, which is why it’s not a surprise to see him argue with opponents. Earlier this year, he got in the eye of the storm for taunting River Plate fans during an away Copa Libertadores fixture in Buenos Aires.
It looks like this game brought the competitive nature out of both players, but it’s safe to say they took it too far. The game was already over and City were the clear winner, so there was no need to get into a fight. Fortunately, the other players understood that and prevented it from going any further.
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Manchester City become Club World Champions for the first time
While the club didn’t deem necessary to risk either Erling Haaland or Kevin De Bruyne, this match was still meaningful for Manchester City. After all, we’re talking about a trophy the club had never won before.
The Club World Cup, besides, allows European champions such as Pep Guardiola’s team to officially establish themselves as the best team on Earth. The Sky Blues certainly proved they were the best continental champion of the year, beating Urawa Red Diamonds 3-0 before putting four past Flu in the tournament decider.
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Pep Guardiola had already beaten a Brazilian team by 4-0 in a Club World Cup final. In 2011, his Barcelona took down Santos by the same score as Lionel Messi and company outplayed a team led by a young Neymar.
