Swashbuckling Marcelo set for surprise swansong with boyhood club Fluminense

More than once or twice in the cut-and-thrust of the first Club World Cup semi-final, Al Ahly's Percy Tau had the better of his marker. But then again, to call Marcelo Vieira, one of the great full-backs of his generation, a "marker" is to use the term loosely. To call him a "full-back" is also to impose a false restriction.

The 35-year-old has always been far more than that. During Fluminense’s 2-0 win over Al Ahly, Marcelo produced a classic show reel of what still makes him so watchable.

Much of it was concentrated into his duel with Tau, the industrious winger who targeted the spaces Marcelo leaves behind him, but whose duties extended to policing the Brazilian’s favourite territory, midfield and onwards.

Al Ahly might have taken the lead when they capitalised on an error from Marcelo high up the field ten minutes before half-time. Tau, with Marcelo AWOL, had earlier sprinted into a position of menace from his right flank, snuffed out only by an excellent covering tackle from Felipe Melo.

Melo is even more the veteran than Marcelo, a robust 40, but it is the task of every centre-back who covers the lanes inside Marcelo’s wing to be vigilant, knowing that area may not always be under full patrol.

Over the best part of 18 years, coaches and colleagues of Marcelo have accepted you must take some rough with the smooth, acknowledging that the gains from Marcelo’s adventurousness far outweigh the losses. Over 80 minutes of Monday’s semi-final in Jeddah, Marcelo versus Tau had been compelling viewing for its ebb and flow, its risk and reward. On their duel the contest would swing.

With 19 minutes remaining before the final whistle, the semi was goalless, but Marcelo still had jet engines in his boots and his winger’s