Barca move was a "breath of fresh air" says Gudjohnsen

YOKOHAMA, Dec 15 (Reuters) Icelandic striker Eidur Gudjohnsen says his move to Barcelona has been like a ''breath of fresh air'' after six high-pressure years at Chelsea.

Gudjohnsen underlined his value to Barca by scoring the opening goal in their 4-0 demolition of Mexico's America in the Club World Cup semi-finals yesterday.

''It's been fantastic,'' he told Reuters after the game in Yokohama. ''It's been a breath of fresh air for me. It's been an incredible challenge but one I'm thoroughly enjoying.

''I hope to keep going in the same way.'' Gudjohnsen joined European champions Barcelona for 15 million dollar in June as a replacement for Swedish striker Henrik Larsson.

He scored against his former club in a 2-2 draw when Chelsea visited the Nou Camp for a Champions League showdown in October.

Gudjohnsen's clinical 11th-minute strike against America settled some early nerves for Barcelona's jet-lagged players and paved the way for an easy victory as they set up a meeting in Sunday's final against Internacional of Brazil.

''It's always important to score early in the game which settles us down,'' he said. ''You're able to play easier after that. We didn't stop at 2-0. We killed the game off.'' Barca face Brazil's Internacional in Sunday's Club World Cup final.

''We came here with the sole intention of taking back the trophy,'' said playmaker Deco, scorer of Barcelona's fourth goal.

''We respect Internacional and we know they're a great team but we expect to beat them and to make history by winning a first world title for Barcelona.'' REUTERS SAM BST1425