Adelaide United have officially finished fifth in the FIFA Club World Cup after defeating African champions Al Ahly 1-0. Brazilian striker Cristiano launched a shot from outside the penalty area in the 7th minute to give the Reds the lead which they maintained for the remainder of the match.

The result is a fantastic achievement for both the club and football in Australia.

"The tournament has been a terrific vehicle for the promotion of our game back home and it has been a tremendous experience for our club and it is very pleasing that the boys were able to fight it out tonight and get the right result," Adelaide coach Aurelio Vidmar said.

"By finishing fifth and with our experience in the Asian Champions League, it has really lifted the profile of the game in Australia and it hopefully gives a lot of confidence to the other A-League clubs that they can do well in the Asian Champions League to get to this point.

"It has been a tremendous ride which hasn't been easy but we've learnt a lot from playing these games and it certainly puts the cub and the game on the map back home. When you win games at this level it lifts people's eyebrows and awareness of what the football can and will be like in the future."