Luis Suarez hat-trick sends Barcelona into final of Club World Cup against Guangzhou Evergrande

Barcelona cruised into the final of the FIFA Club World Cup on Thursday, as Luis Suarez grabbed a hat-trick in a comfortable 3-0 victory over Chinese side Guangzhou Evergrande.

Luiz Felipe Scolari’s underdogs started the game brightly and initially dealt well with Barcelona’s threat but goalkeeper Li Shuai palmed Ivan Rakitic’s swerving shot into the path of the grateful Suarez towards the end of the first half. And, after going behind, they never really looked like getting back into the match.

Suarez, leading the line alone in the absence of Lionel Messi and Neymar, made it 2-0 midway through the second half after clinically dispatching Andres Iniesta’s smart through ball - before the Uruguayan completed his hat-trick from the penalty spot on 67 minutes after Munir El-Haddadi had been tripped. The final 15 minutes saw the European champions pass the ball around as if the game were an elaborate training exercise, with Guangzhou perhaps content simply to limit the damage.

Luis Enrique’s side will now face River Plate in the final of the competition on Sunday.

If the Club World Cup has long been all about the eventual showdown between the champions of Europe and South America, then this was a valuable warm-up game for a Barcelona side who found Guangzhou an obdurate, determined opponent for long stretches. Without Messi, ruled out due to pain from renal colic hours before kick-off, and Neymar fit only for a place on the bench, Suarez was assisted in the forward line by Munir and Sergi Roberto; although it was Iniesta and Rakitic who provided most of the attacking impetus.

The two midfielders assisted Suarez’s opening strikes – the Croatian firing a shot from 30 yards that Li could only parry into the path of the striker for the opener, before Iniesta provided the sumptuous pass in an elaborate one-two with the Uruguayan as he did the business inside the box. His late penalty was just icing on the cake, as he became the first player to score a hat-trick in tournament history.

For Guangzhou the final result will be a moderate disappointment, with Scolari occasionally showing his frustration at his side’s inability to fully execute his tactical plans. They will now face Sanfrecce on Sunday in the third-place play-off – although they will be without full-back Zou Zheng, who was taken off on a stretcher in the first half after appearing to suffer a horrific broken leg in an innocuous off the ball accident.

It was the one truly sour moment in an otherwise unremarkable game.

23’ - BIG CHANCE DENIED! Out of nothing, Barca nearly create an opener. It is Iniesta who is the architect, the midfielder producing a sublime ball to split the defence for Munir. The striker runs to get on the end of the pass, but goalkeeper Li Shuai rushes from his line and makes the smothering save!

35’ - INJURY. Horrible, horrible moment out on the pitch, as Zheng Zou appears to break his leg in an innocuous incident as he covers a long ball. The defender seems to catch his leg underneath him, forcing it in a completely unnatural angle. He is taken off on a stretcher.

39’ - GOAL! BARCELONA LEAD! That's it, the deadlock is broken! Rakitic hits a ripping shot from 30 yards that the goalkeeper can only palm away ... but Suarez is the first to react as he drives home the rebound! 1-0!

41’ - GUANGZHOU NEARLY HIT STRAIGHT BACK! Elkeson wins the header in the box and glances the ball towards the far corner, but Bravo makes a smart stop.

50’ - GOAL! BARCELONA DOUBLE THEIR LEAD! What a lovely goal that is! Suarez starts it as he flicks the ball back to Iniesta, before the midfielder dinks it into the path of the striker as he takes a touch and volleys home! 2-0!

66’ - PENALTY! Huang trips Munir inside the box as the forward gets goal-side of him, and Suarez will get the chance to seal his hat-trick and finish the match...

67’ - GOAL! GAME OVER! The Uruguayan goes high to the goalkeeper's right, and the game is done - and the match ball is heading to Casa Suarez. 3-0!

87’ – CLOSE AGAIN! It's just not Munir's day! The forward gets ahead of his man and meets Adriano's cross, but his header flies narrowly over the crossbar!

How long will Messi be out? With nothing eventful to talk about on the pitch, the attention naturally tends to turn to matters off it – and in particular when Lionel Messi might return to first team availability. Barcelona said the forward missed the game due to "renal colic” – which often, but not always, means kidney stones. Such issues are known to be extremely painful, but can usually be treated pretty quickly – Messi is unlikely to need surgery to have them removed, for example.

It is likely Messi will be available for Sunday’s final (Neymar, on the bench on Thursday, would also figure to be available) so it looks like River Plate will have to prepare for the full might of the Barcelona attack. But even if they are missing again, Suarez has shown he is more than difficult to handle on his own.

Luis Suarez (Barcelona) How can you go against the hat-trick hero? Andres Iniesta may have been the driving force for much of this contest – raising the tempo when some of his team-mates hardly looked bothered to be out there – but it was Suarez who provided the finishing touch, lashing his side into a first-half lead they would not relinquish. Iniesta then proved the architect of his second, before a penalty offered him the best possible chance to get his third.

No Neymar, no Messi, no problem - thanks to the Uruguayan.

Barcelona: Bravo 6; Dani Alves 6, Pique 6, Mascherano 6, Alba 6; Busquets 7, Rakitic 6, Iniesta 8; Sergi Roberto 6, Munir 6, Suarez 8.

Guangzhou Evergrande: Li 6; Zhang 6, Fheng 6, Zou 6, Kim 6; Paulinho 7, Zheng Zhi 8, Huang 6, Zheng Long 6; Goulart 6, Elkeson 6.