Ronaldo, Khaseif, VAR and Bale: The best moments from the Fifa Club World Cup held in the UAE

Following the conclusion of the 2017 and 2018 tournaments being held in the country, here is a look at 10 of the most memorable moments from those competitions

1. Essa the penalty king. Al Ain were good value for “the biggest result in the history of the country”, which is how Zoran Mamic, the manager, described their semi-final, shoot-out win over River Plate. They were, though, also indebted to a virtuoso display by their goalkeeper, Khalid Essa, who repelled the South Americans repeatedly during the 120 minutes, then decided the outcome by blocking Enzo Perez’s penalty. Reuters

Paul Radley

Dec 24, 2018

The global game might have seen the last of the Fifa Club World Cup in its current guise, with plans for a revamp of the tournament, possibly from 2021.

If this was the last of it, the fields of Abu Dhabi and Al Ain provided plenty of memories to savour over the past two years.

Those range from Cristiano Ronaldo being Real Madrid's hero in 2017 in the final season with the club, to Khalid Eisa's penalty saves for Al Ain, to the use of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR), and Mohammed Ahmed's historic strike.

To view Paul Radley's choice for 10 best moments, check out the photo gallery above. To move on to the next image, click on the arrows, or if using a mobile device, simply swipe.

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Santiago Solari impressed by 'remarkable' Al Ain as he celebrates Real Madrid's Fifa Club World Cup win

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