Pay attention, folks, the Club World Cup in Tokyo has kicked off. Australia's Adelaide United won a preliminary round clash against New Zealand's Waitakere United 2-1 on Thursday, and will now face Japan's Gamba Osaka in the quarterfinal.
Travis Dodd scored the gamewinner in the 82nd minute as Adelaide dominated, but found the New Zealand club hard to break down. Paul Seaman had put Waitakere ahead in the first half, but Daniel Mullen leveled five minutes later.
The quarterfinal serves up a quick opportunity for Adelaide to avenge last month's Asian Champions Cup final defeat to Gamba. But given that they lost 5-0 over two games, their chances are not rated highly. The winner will meet Manchester United, direct qualifier for the semifinal as winner of last season's European Champions League.