YOKOHAMA - Clarence Seedorf struck the only goal of the game midway through the second half as AC Milan saw off a resolute Urawa Reds to progress to the final of the Club World Cup on Thursday evening.
Despite dominating for long periods of the game, the European champions struggled to break down their Asian counterparts until Seedorf slotted home Kaka's low cross from the left in the 68th minute to set up a meeting on Sunday with Copa Libertadores champions Boca Juniors.
The clash with the Argentinians will be a rematch of the Toyota Cup meeting between the two teams in 2003, when Boca won the title in a penalty shoot-out after a 1-1 draw.
Milan's participation in the final was rarely in doubt against the Asian Champions League winners but Urawa did much to impress in front of a crowd of over 67,000 at the Yokohama International Stadium.
Reds refused to be overawed by the seven-time European champions and it was Holger Osieck's side who had the better of the opening exchanges.
Yuki Abe and Makoto Hasebe both tried their luck from distance, firing off shots from well outside the penalty area inside the first 10 minutes that failed to trouble Milan goalkeeper Dida.
However, Milan eventually took control of the midfield as Reds sat back with Andrea Pirlo floating a free-kick over the Urawa wall in the 13th minute that forced Ryota Tsuzuki to push the ball over the bar.
From the resulting corner, Urawa had a lucky escape as Massimo Ambrosini glanced his header across the face of goal.
Midway through the half Seedorf had Milan's best chance to open the scoring following Kaka's run through the heart of the Reds midfield, but the midfielder's low shot was too weak to trouble Tsuzuki.
Urawa continued to present a threat on the break but they remained incapable of finding a way past Alessandro Nesta and his defence, launching more shots from distance through Yuichiro Nagai and Takahito Soma that went well off the mark.
With five minutes remaining in the half, Alberto Gilardino met Massimo Oddo's cross at the near post, only for the Italy international to glance the ball into the hands of Tsuzuki.
Less than a minute later, Urawa strung together their best attacking move of the half thanks to the persistence of Brazilian striker Washington.
But when the ball eventually made it into the penalty area, Keita Suzuki was unable to put enough power into his shot to concern Dida.
Milan cranked up the pressure at the start of the second half with Marek Jankulovski shooting just wide and Seedorf forcing a fine block out of Tsuzuki, while Abe's low swerving shot was fumbled by Dida at the other end.
Seedorf was again just off target in the 56th minute when he chested down Jankulovski's ball over the top of the Reds defence before volleying into the side netting.
Urawa looked like they had weathered the worst of the Milan pressure and Washington forced a diving save out of Dida in the 67th minute with a curling right-foot shot from the edge of the area.
Less than a minute later, though, Seedorf finally found the back of the net.
Ambrosini's quickly taken free-kick found Kaka inside the Reds penalty area and the European Player of the Year found his Dutch team-mate unmarked 10 yards from goal and his left-foot finish gave Tsuzuki no chance.
