On the day that marks exactly 44 years since the club’s only world title, won on December 13, 1981, Flamengo advanced this Saturday (13) to the final of the Intercontinental Cup and will have a new opportunity to seek a second title.
In an afternoon inspired by Arrascaeta as a waiter and by Léo Pereira and Danilo as top scorers, the Brazilian team beat Pyramids, from Egypt, 2-0.
The two defenders scored with headers after free kicks from the Uruguayan midfielder. Léo Pereira opened the scoring in the 23rd minute of the first half, and Danilo doubled the score in the 6th minute of the final half.
With qualification, Flamengo will face the long-awaited duel against PSG, next Wednesday (17), at 2pm (Brasília time), at the Ahmad Bin Ali stadium, in Al Rayyan, Qatar — the same stage as the victory over the Egyptian team, in front of a reduced audience: 8,368 people, a number slightly higher than the approximately 7,100 fans who attended the triumph over Cruz Azul, in the quarter-finals.
Despite the expectations of the red and black fans, the confrontation was not the outcome desired by the French club’s coach. Luis Enrique stated that he was rooting for Pyramids to qualify. “My preference is not Flamengo, that’s clear. We watched the Libertadores final. We didn’t analyze it deeply, but we know the team [do Flamengo]. It’s a very good team, with quality players, experience and a great coach,” he said.
It will be the fourth meeting between the clubs in history. The record is even, with a victory for each side and a draw. The Brazilian team won a friendly in 1975 by 2-0. In 1979, again in a friendly, they beat PSG: 3-1. The most recent duel took place in 1991, at the Paris Tournament, with a 1-1 draw.
In addition to the opponent’s strength, Enrique expressed concern about the wear and tear on his team. PSG has not yet arrived in Qatar and, at the same time as the match between Flamengo and Pyramids, they were playing in the French league, against Metz. Although some players were spared, the scenario is far from ideal for playing a high-level match on Wednesday.
Even so, the European team is considered the favorite, as they will enter the field as the current Champions League champion. PSG was also runner-up in the first edition of the Club World Cup, played this year in the United States, won by Chelsea.
Flamengo, in turn, is already based in Qatar. The duel against Pyramids was the club’s second in the country. In the quarterfinals, the Brazilian team had eliminated Cruz Azul, from Mexico. In case of another triumph, the Rio team will achieve their second world championship and will be able to place another cup alongside the trophy won in 1981, with the 3-0 victory over Liverpool, in the old Club World Cup format.
