This archive report was first published on 19 December 2019.
On Wednesday, December 18, 2019, Liverpool secured a spot in the Club World Cup final after defeating Monterrey 2-1 in a thrilling match at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha.
Roberto Firmino came off the bench to score the winning goal in the 91st minute, securing a hard-fought victory for the Reds.
The match started on a high note for Liverpool, with Naby Keita scoring the opening goal in the 12th minute. However, Monterrey quickly drew level through Argentine striker Rogelio Funes Mori, who converted a rebound after Jesus Gallardo's shot was saved by Alisson.
"It was a tough game. They were very aggressive against us. I think the referee didn't protect us too much but I'm not here to complain about it," said Mohamed Salah after being named the man of the match.
"But I think in the end we showed our quality and we won in the last minute so I think we deserved it," added Salah.
Despite being without centre-back Virgil van Dijk due to illness, Liverpool's manager Jurgen Klopp made strategic substitutions, including bringing on Sadio Mane and Trent Alexander-Arnold, which ultimately paid off.
With the win, Liverpool remains on course to win the Club World Cup for the first time in their history and will face Flamengo in the final.
