Abu Dhabi: Rafael Benitez, coach of European club champions Inter Milan heaved a sign of relief after his team advanced to the final of the Fifa Club World Cup with a 3-0 win over Korean club Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma.
Inter Milan now take on Congo's TP Mazembe in Saturday's final, bidding to become the fourth consecutive World Club Champion from Europe.
Midfielder Dejan Stankovic settled the early nerves of Inter Milan with a third minute goal while skipper Javier Zanetti scored the second in the 32nd minute. Diego Milito celebrated his return from injury with the third goal in the 73rd minute.
After Brazilian heavyweights FC Internacional were shocked by African champions TP Mazembe on Tuesday and with Benitez under pressure after coming into this event with a loss each in the Italian Serie A league and the UEFA Champions League, the Koreans were looking to cause another upset.
And to Inter's bad luck their star midfielder Wesley Sneijder has the replaced in the very first minute after injured by a harsh tackle from Kim Sung Hwan.
But Stankovic, who scored a hat-trick in his club's 5-2 win over Parma before the two losses, grabbed the first chance that came Inter's way in the third minute to put them on course for a shot at the Cup.
Samuel Etoo worked his way down the left and found Diego Milito and the Argentine star passed forward to Stankovic who eluded the tackle of Cho Byung Kuk and shoot home past Korean national team goalkeeper Jung Sung Ryong.
Without being in total control and still searching for that class which made them UEFA Champions League winners in May, Inter did dominate and it was Milito who was at the heart of most of their attacks.
In the 19th minute his pass overran the charging Goran Pandev and soon a counter-attack by the Koreans had Cho Dong Geon shooting in haste instead of passing to an unmarked Dzenan Radoncic.
Inter then put the game beyond Seongnam's reach in the 32nd minute when Zanetti passed to Milito on the right and then raced in to receive a brilliant back-heel from his countryman and dispatch it to the far corner.
Seongnam tried to come back and a firm header by Radoncic off Colombian Mauricio Molina was tipped over by Julio Cesar and just before the break, Molina's freekick narrowly sailed over the bar.
The Koreans missed another chance after the break when Choi Sung Kuk ballooned the ball wide off the mark while at the other end Jung Sung Ryong did well to save a Milito strike.
Benitez had said before the match that Milito's return to form had boosted his confidence and the Argentine striker, after his assists in the first two goals scored one himself to cap a fine display.
Stankovic sent Etoo on the left and the Cameroonian international crossed into the box where Milito's first attempt went straight to the goalkeeper but he slipped in the rebound to make it 3-0.
Korea almost pulled one back but Radoncic shot wide from close range after a Molina free-kick rebounded to the Montenegrin.
A total of 35,995 fans who packed the Zayed Sports City Stadium were treated to a master class by the European club champions who next face the African giant-killers from Congo on Saturday in the final.
