In front of just over eight thousand fans, defenders Léo Pereira and Danilo scored the goals in the match against Pyramids; decision against the French team will be next Wednesday, at 2pm (Brasília time)
Even without a brilliant performance, the continues to show strength and maturity on the field. This Saturday (13), the red-black team relied on the efficiency of set pieces to beat the do 2-0, at the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, in Al-Rayyan, Qatar, and guarantee a place in the final of the Intercontinental Cup. In front of just over eight thousand fans, defenders Léo Pereira and Danilo scored the goals of the match.
With the result, Flamengo won the Challenger Cup trophy, the name given to the semi-final stage of the competition..
The decision of the will be next Wednesday, at 2pm (Brasília time), against Paris Saint-Germain, European champions. The decisive clash will take place in the same stadium that hosted Flamengo’s two games in Qatar.
The Rio team started the match with a dominant stance, putting pressure on the opponent and looking for a goal from the first minutes. After the intense start, the pace slowed and Pyramids managed to balance the actions. Even so, Flamengo’s technical superiority was valid.
In the 24th minute of the first half, Arrascaeta took a free kick from the left and Léo Pereira appeared at the first post to head it in and open the scoring. After the goal, the match continued at a lukewarm pace, although the Egyptian team was in danger in the final minutes of the opening stage, stopping after a good save from Rossi on a shot from Mayele.
In the second half, Pyramids became more offensive and started to control possession, but it was Flamengo who scored again. In the 7th minute, Arrascaeta took another free kick from the left and Danilo went up to the second post to head the ball into the ground, increasing the Red and Black advantage.
Even maintaining an aggressive stance, the Egyptian team ran into technical limitations and created few clear chances. With the result in hand, coach Filipe Luís made substitutions to preserve more worn-out players, such as Jorginho and Arrascaeta. Recovering from a broken forearm and muscle injury, Pedro returned to action for almost ten minutes.
In the final minutes, the game was marked by complaints from Pyramids with the refereeing. Zalaka asked for a penalty after contact with the face, but the Qatari referee ordered the game to continue and gave the athlete a yellow card. Despite attempts until the final whistle, the Egyptians were unable to score, and Flamengo confirmed their qualification for the big decision.
*With information from Estadão Conteúdo
