European champion Barcelona produced a masterclass to beat Mexican side Atlante 3-1 here Wednesday and book its place in the World Club Cup final. Guillermo Rojas shot Atlante into a surprise fifth-minute lead with Sergio Busquets dragging Barca back on level terms 10 minutes from the break. Second-half substitute Lionel Messi put the Spanish giant ahead in the 55th minute with Pedro wrapping up the semifinal in the 67th minute in front of 41,000 fans at the Zayed Sports City stadium. Barcelona meets Argentine side Estudiantes, which beat South Korea's Pohang Steelers 2-1 in Tuesday's semifinal, in Saturday's final. Atlante will face Asian champion Pohang Steelers in the third place playoff. The World Club Cup is the only international honor missing from Barcelona's well-stocked trophy cabinet after their previous attempt to win it, in 2006, ended in a 1-0 defeat to Brazilian side Internacional. Victory in the tournament would crown a remarkable year for the current Spanish league leader, which last season won the Champions League, Spanish league and King's Cup to claim an unprecedented treble. Pep Guardiola's side quickly settled into its familiar passing rhythm but the team fell behind within five minutes when Rojas touched the ball past Barcelona's goalkeeper Victor Valdes before finishing from a difficult angle. Atlante goalkeeper Federico Vilar had to save from Busquets as the Catalans sought a quick response, while Zlatan Ibrahimovic had an effort cleared off the line. Andres Iniesta and Ibrahimovic were both narrowly off-target with long-range efforts but 10 minutes before the interval Barca leveled when Busquets touched home from close range after Yaya Toure had flicked on Xavi's corner. Messi made his entrance shortly after the break and within two minutes he had delighted the crowd by putting his side in front. The recently crowned European Footballer of the Year collected a reverse pass from Ibrahimovic before slipping away from a defender, rounding the goalkeeper and tapping the ball into an empty net. Barca's third arrived 23 minutes from time, with Iniesta slaloming through the Atlante defense before setting up Pedro, who provided a nerveless finish. The 22-year-old forward Pedro now has a remarkable record of having scored in all six competitions Barca has taken part in this year. Earlier, Auckland City finished fifth after beating Mazembe 3-2. Beckham hoping to draw United David Beckham hopes AC Milan will be drawn with his former club Manchester United in the second round of the Champions League. Beckham said in Wednesday's edition of La Gazzetta dello Sport that he would be delighted to get the chance to play at Old Trafford for the first time since leaving Man. United for Real Madrid in 2003. The draw is on Friday. The England midfielder is set to link up for his second loan spell with Milan in January. If he does play in the Champions League this season, it will be the first time since 2007. Beckham scored twice in 18 games for Milan from January to May 2009 while on loan from Los Angeles Galaxy in the MLS.
