Barcelona win Club WC

YOKOHAMA, Japan, Dec 18 (AFP): Lionel Messi grabbed a brace as a rampant Barcelona out-classed the Brazilians Santos 4-0 to lift the Club World Cup on Sunday and confirm their status as the best team on the planet. The clash between the European and South American champions in Japan had been billed as a showdown between Messi, widely acknowledged as the best player in the world, and 19-year-old Brazilian sensation Neymar. In the event, it was no contest-either between the two supreme talents or their teams-as Barcelona picked up their second world crown after winning the competition in 2009. Messi, set up by Xavi, got the first after 17 minutes, before Xavi put Barcelona 2-0 up just seven minutes later to put them firmly in control, as prodigious forward Neymar struggled to get a sniff of the ball. Cesc Fabregas, who pulled the strings in midfield, got the third on the stroke of half-time as the Spanish champions, who were at full-strength, threatened to run riot for the full house of 68,166.