Nigeria forward Odion Ighalo failed to make much impact as Asian champions Al Hilal suffered a 1-0 defeat to Chelsea in the semi-final of the Club World Cup on Wednesday evening, reports Complete sports.com.
Romelu Lukaku netted the winning goal for Chelsea in the first half as Ighalo had two shots blocked by the Chelsea defence in the second half.
Al-Hilal, winners of last season’s AFC Champions League, really pushed for an equaliser in the second half as Chelsea lost control of the game, testing goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga on multiple occasions.
Moussa Marega and Mohamed Kanno came closest, but the Spaniard pulled off a few impressive saves to allow Chelsea to see out the game, setting up a final against Brazilian side Palmeiras on Saturday.
Al Hilal will face African champions Al Ahly in the third place playoff also on Saturday.
