Wydad Casablanca 2 Urawa Red Diamonds 3: Marvellous Mauricio double proves decisive

A fine Mauricio brace helped Urawa Red Diamonds to a comfortable 3-2 win over Morocco’s Wydad Casablanca in the Club World Cup fifth-place play-off on Tuesday.

Wydad gave a good account of themselves during their 1-0 extra-time defeat to Mexico’s Pachuca in the quarter-finals, but they were second best to the reigning AFC Champions League champions for most of the match.

Brazilian defender Mauricio gave Urawa the lead in stunning fashion, finding the top-right corner with a controlled effort from about 40 yards, only for Ismail El Haddad to equalise shortly after when his long-range free-kick found its way through a crowd of players and into the net.

But Yosuke Kashiwagi restored their lead in the 26th minute from a tight angle, with the impressive Mauricio getting his second to effectively seal the win after an hour, arriving late in the box and finding the top-right corner with a neat finish.

Reda Hajhouj tucked away a penalty in stoppage time after some pushing and shoving at a corner, but it was too little, too late for Wydad, as Urawa secured the win.

#ClubWC | FT
@WACofficiel 2-3 @REDSOFFICIAL
A Mauricio brace sees the Japanese outfit end their stint at UAE 2017 with a win, clinching fifth, in an open, goal-laden encounterhttps://t.co/X6W8FarTY2 pic.twitter.com/Pichexd1mr

— #ClubWC  (@FIFAcom) December 12, 2017