Last night African champions TP Mazembe constructed one of the shock results in the history of the Club World Cup as they defeated Brazilian giants Internacional 2-0 in the semi-finals to become the first team from Africa to reach the final, and tonight Seongnam Ilhwa can conjure up yet another upset if they win against Italian and European champions Inter in the other semi.
The Asian champions could then create history as they would become the first team from Asia to reach the final of this prestigious competition. Shin Tae Yong's side have looked very impressive so far in the competition as they hammered Al-Wahda 4-1 in the quarter-finals.
Against Inter, who are in a crisis of their own as they are struggling in Serie A and have just stuttered their way through to the knockout stage of the Champions League, the Pegasus will be confident of a victory.
Tae Yong knows the significance and symbolic importance of a win and explains, “Internazionale are the best team in the world. They are the better team and we’re not in for an easy match.
"But our players are here to try and perform at their best and if they do I’m sure we’ll give them a good game. It'd be an extremely proud moment for us and the whole of Asia if we were to qualify for the final."
Under Severe Pressure
Just as Internacional headed into their encounter against TP Mazembe as favourites last night, Inter will take to the pitch against Seongnam expecting to reach the final. On paper the European champions have a superior squad and with European teams having won on all three previous occasions against Asian opposition in the Club World Cup, history is a friend to the Italians.
Coach Rafael Benitez, though, is under immense pressure to succeed. Even though club supremo Massimo Moratti has persistently insisted that he has no plans to axe the Spaniard, the former Valencia and Liverpool manager must try to appease the Nerazzurri fans and win the competition.
Inter have fallen behind in the race for the Scudetto in Italy and haven't looked very convincing in their march to the second round of the Champions League, so a triumph in the Club World Cup could be the boost they need to lift themselves up for the remainder of the 2010-11 campaign.
Striker Diego Milito, who has struggled with injuries so far this season and has also been misfiring on occasions, is confident of winning and underlines, "This is a unique competition for all of us. We don't know if we'll ever play in it again in our careers. We will try to enjoy it and reach a valuable objective, which is very important to us.''
TEAM NEWS
Seongnam Ilhwa
The Asian champions are likely to line up in their 4-3-3 formation that will have Cho Dong Keon, Dzenan Radoncic and Sung Kuk Choi as the front-three.
Inter
Benitez still has a number of players injured and hasn't been able to take his full strength squad to Abu Dhabi. However, striker Milito is likely to start and so will Samuel Eto'o and Wesley Sneijder in a 4-2-3-1 formation.
Prediction
Inter will be the favourites for the match but they will need to score early. Defensively the Nerazzurri have looked weak and this could play into the hands of their Asian rivals. However, the Beneamata should still emerge triumphant in the end.
Seongnam Ilhwa 0-2 Inter Milan 
