[Archive 2015-12-18] Suárez scores a hat-trick, Barcelona advances to FIFA Club World Cup 2015 Final

Historical archive — originally published 2015-12-18. This report records what was known on that date. It is not current news; subsequent events may have changed the situation. Wikinews closed in May 2026.

Yesterday, Catalonia-based football club FC Barcelona defeated Chinese Guangzhou Evergrande FC 3–0 at Nissan Stadium in Yokohama in a FIFA Club World Cup semifinal match hosted in Japan.

FIFA Club World Cup is a tournament in which football clubs winning in the respective continental confederation championships participate. Barcelona won the UEFA Champions League, and Guangzhou won the AFC Champions League. Barcelona's Neymar, suffering from groin injury, was not included in the squad.

Barça had greater ball possession. The match saw one yellow card, when Feng Xiaoting was yellow carded in the 16th minute, and at least two dozen fouls were committed in the match. The 2015 AFC Champions League winners Guangzhou prevented the European winners from scoring a goal for more than half an hour. In the 39th minute, Ivan Rakitić's shot on the target was saved by the Chinese goalkeeper, but Luis Suárez netted the goal providing Barcelona a 1–0 lead before half-time. The first half ended in 1–0.

In the second half, Suárez scored again in the 50th minute, assisted by Andrés Iniesta. A quarter of an hour later, Guangzhou player Huang Bowen fouled Munir El Haddadi in the penalty area, and Barcelona was awarded a penalty kick. Suárez, in the absence of Lionel Messi, took the penalty and completed a hat-trick.

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