The Botafogo squad was still enjoying the party with the fans at Engenhão, on Sunday (8), when they had to leave the stadium straight to Galeão airport, in Rio de Janeiro, from where they left for Qatar.
The 14-hour trip, with the delegation divided into two chartered planes, loaned to the club by the NFL’s New England Patriots –whose owner is a personal friend of businessman and owner of the Rio team John Textor–, took the players from the Lone Star team for the team’s last challenge this season: the Intercontinental Cup, the former Club World Cup.
After celebrating winning the Brazilian Championship eight days after also winning the Libertadores, the black and white team achieved a rare feat among Brazilian clubs.
In the current format of the competitions, only Flamengo had achieved this, in 2019 – Santos de Pelé, two-time South American champion in 1962 and 1963, also won the Taça Brasil in those years, equated to the Brazilian Cup in 2010 by the CBF (Brazilian Football Confederation). ).
The team from the coast of São Paulo also won the 1962 and 1963 Intercontinental Cup trophies in that decade, placing in its gallery a triple crown, with national, continental and world titles.
Flamengo lacked this in 2019, which ended up being beaten by Liverpool in the decision of the tournament organized by FIFA, also in Qatar.
It is this brand that Botafogo will have the chance to pursue now. This Wednesday (11), the team makes its debut in the second phase of the tournament, against Pachuca, from Mexico, at 2 pm (Brasília time) — Globo, SporTV, CazéTV and the Fifa+ streaming platform broadcast.
In case of victory over the Mexicans, the Brazilian team will face Al-Ahly, from Egypt, in the last play-off before the decision, a phase for which Real Madrid, as the European representative, qualified directly.
Shortly before leaving for Qatar, John Textor joked about a possible clash with the current Champions League winner. “I know we have a game against Pachuca and I don’t know what comes after that. There’s this small team from Madrid maybe waiting, but we have to earn our place there first,” he said.
The “little team from Madrid” is the biggest winner of the Champions League, with 15 trophies, having won the old Intercontinental Cup three times (1960, 1998 and 2002) and the FIFA Club World Cup five times (2014, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2022).
The history does not scare Botafogo players. Upon boarding for Qatar, striker Luiz Henrique said the team is “lucky”.
“We’re going to do everything we can to beat our opponents. I think we’re going to have a very good tournament and who knows, maybe we’ll emerge as champions. We’re in luck,” he said.
For Pachuca coach, Guillermo Almada, the good moment Botafogo is experiencing goes beyond luck. A Uruguayan, he says he knows and follows football in Brazil closely and understands that winning the Brazilian Championship reflects the strength of the Rio team’s squad.
“Winning the Brasileirão, in some cases, is even more difficult than the Libertadores,” he said. “Botafogo is a great team, with a great coach and great athletes. All the achievements speak for themselves, of the technical capacity they have. They will demand our best”, he added.
Guillermo is also concerned about his players’ physical appearance. Pachuca hasn’t played an official match in almost a month, since the end of the Mexican league regular season. If, on the one hand, the free time was good for resting and recovering the athletes, the lack of rhythm in the game can also get in the way.
In the case of Botafogo, as Luiz Henrique said upon boarding, the team will arrive with “adrenaline high”.
“It will be difficult, but, as I always tell athletes, by believing in our work and in each teammate, we will be able to compete with them”, said the Pachuca coach.
