Oscar has admitted that Internacional’s shock defeat to African side TP Mazembe still haunts him and has vowed not to repeat the mistake with Chelsea.
DR Congo’s TP Mazembe infamously stunned the Brazilians with a 2-0 win in 2010, on of the biggest upsets in Club World Cup history.
“It was unbelievable at the time, and what made it worse was the fact that we knew we had the quality to win that game and then beat Inter as our team was very strong,” the 21-year-old midfielder said. “It really was a major disappointment.
“We were all surprised because we knew our team was superior to theirs, Mazembe scored to go 1-0 up, and while we did everything in our power to try and secure a draw, it wasn’t possible.”
Rafa Benitez’s Inter went on to defeat TP Mazembe 3-0 while Internacional had to settle for third place with a 4-2 win over Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma.
“I didn’t take part in the second game, but I remember it well because we were all feeling so down after losing to Mazembe,” he told Chelsea’s website. “All we were thinking about was meeting Inter, who had already qualified, in the final, and we were confident we could beat them.”
“I have learned from past experience with Internacional that you have to take one game at a time. If we get to the final, which I hope we do, and have to face Corinthians, it will be great for me personally to play against a Brazilian side, but I will be doing my best to help Chelsea win the game.”
“I think we, as players, are all taking this competition very seriously, It’s a very important trophy for every club and for the career of every individual.”
