Fluminense faces Al Ahly in the World Cup semi-finals – 12/17/2023 – Sport

Gone are the days when the semi-final stage of the Club World Cup had broad favoritism for the South American representative, who arrived at the dispute expecting an almost certain decision with the European team on the other side of the bracket. It was enough to avoid what was called a “trap”, fulfill favoritism and then fight for the title.

The trap, in the last decade, has become much more efficient.

If there was only an upset in the semi-finals in one of the first eight editions of the tournament in the current format – Internacional fell to Mazembe, from the Democratic Republic of Congo, in 2010 –, the scenario has changed a lot in the ten most recent editions. After Corinthians won the title in 2012, five of the ten South Americans failed straight away – and the other five lost the final.

Atlético Mineiro, Nacional-COL, River Plate-ARG, Palmeiras and Flamengo fell in their debut, respectively, against Raja Casablanca-MAR, Kashima Antlers-JAP, Al Ain-EAU, Tigres-MEX and Al Hilal-ARA. Fluminense hopes to avoid a similar fate against Al Ahly-EGI, in an attempt to make the expected – but not certain – decision with Manchester City-ING.

“You have to go step by step, feet on the ground, knowing that you don’t have an easy rival, because we are talking about the champion of each continent. This semifinal game is going to be extremely difficult”, said tricolor striker Jhon Arias. “We know that we will need to be our best version, the best Fluminense”, added the Colombian.

In the 2023 edition of the World Cup, an African will be the challenger for the South American representative. A frequent figure in the competition, Al Ahly is the greatest champion of its continent, with 11 victories. The Egyptian team started this year’s dispute in the quarter-finals and gained momentum by beating Al Ittihad-ARA 3-1.

The Cairo team was not intimidated by being up against the club representing Saudi Arabia, host of the competition. Many of their fans made the relatively short journey to Jida and made more noise than their hosts at King Abdullah Sports City. On the field, the players imposed themselves on a rich opponent, which includes Fabinho, Kanté, Romarinho and Benzema.

With good organization, Al Ahly appears stronger than in previous editions in which they crossed paths with Brazilians. Defeated in the semi-finals by Internacional (2006), Corinthians (2012) and Palmeiras (2021), the team has a victory over a team from Brazil: in 2020, they overcame Palmeiras in the dispute for third place, the worst South American team in an edition of the competition.

Fernando Diniz watched the Egyptian club’s triumph over Al Ittihad from the stadium to make what he called “final adjustments” to Fluminense. According to the coach, what his team should look for this Monday (18), starting at 3pm (Brasília time), at King Abdullah Sports City, is to repeat the formula that gave them success throughout the year, with winning the Copa Libertadores.

“The professor conveys a lot of confidence, highlighting what we did this season”, said midfielder Martinelli. “Diniz always tells us to dream big. That’s how we managed to become Libertadores champions. We’re in an extremely difficult tournament, but of course we have a dream,” added Arias.

This dream includes a victory in the decision over Manchester City – who, for their part, with broad favoritism, will face Urawa Red Diamonds-JAP on Tuesday, in the other semi-final match. First, it is necessary to avoid a trap that is no longer surprising, but has been efficient.

Fluminense x Al Ahly

3pm, at King Abdullah Sports City, in Jeddah (ARA)
On TV: Globo, CazéTV, ge, Gloplay and Fifa+