Fluminense shakes off the semifinal nightmare and goes to the World Cup final – 12/18/2023 – Sport

In their debut at the FIFA Club World Cup, Fluminense avoided the semi-final trap that haunts South American teams and won the clash against Al Ahly, from Egypt, 2-0, in a match held this Monday (18 ) at the King Abdullah Sports City stadium, in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

The first goal of the match came in the 25th minute of the second half, after left-back Marcelo was brought down inside the area by South African striker Percy Tau. From the kick, midfielder Jhon Arias hit the right corner firmly, without giving goalkeeper El-Shenawy a chance to save.

In the 44th minute, striker John Kennedy received the ball on the edge of the area and increased the score, sealing Fluminense’s qualification for the final.

The game was balanced and featured dangerous attempts on goal from both sides. The Egyptian team threatened Fluminense’s goal, especially through counterattacks led by striker El Shahat, with important interventions from experienced archer Fábio that prevented Al Ahly from scoring.

Tricolor das Laranjeiras now awaits the definition of their opponent in the final. In the other semi-final of the tournament, on Tuesday (19), the European champion, Manchester City, debuts in the World Cup against Urawa Red Diamonds, from Japan. The Asian champion qualified to face the English club by defeating the team in the previous phase León’s Mexican.

The final of the competition is scheduled for next Friday (22), at 3 pm (Brasília time), broadcast by Globo, on open TV. Globoplay, ge, Cazé TV (YouTube) and Fifa+ (streaming) also broadcast the decision.

If Manchester City confirms its favoritism against the Japanese team and advances to the final, fans will be able to watch the long-awaited duel of strategies between Fernando Diniz, who is also the interim coach of the Brazilian team, known for valuing touch and possession of the ball. , and the Spanish Guardiola, responsible for spreading a similar style of play in the main clubs in Europe for years and considered one of the greatest coaches of his generation.

The Spanish coach has even shown curiosity about the playing style of the current coach of the Brazilian team.

“I would like to know,” replied Guardiola, when recently asked about the “apositional” tactic advocated by Diniz, according to which players do not need to follow a fixed position throughout the match, with freedom to move around the field. “The next time we see each other, maybe he can tell me [a respeito da tática aposicional]”, added the former Spanish midfielder.

Diniz, when participating in a program on SporTV last year, even commented on the comparisons between his teams’ playing style and that of the City coach.

“Because I like having the ball, people associate me with Guardiola. But his way of having the ball is the opposite of mine,” said the Fluminense coach. Diniz explained that, in the teams coached by the Spaniard, the players have fixed, very delimited positions on the field, while he seeks a more fluid formation.

The last time a Brazilian team reached the final of the competition was in the 2021 edition, when Palmeiras was defeated by Chelsea 2-1. The last achievement was in 2012, when Corinthians beat Chelsea 1-0, with goal from Peruvian Paolo Guerrero.

São Paulo (2005, against Liverpool) and Internacional (2006, against Barcelona) also won the FIFA World Cup in the current format.

This Sunday (17), the football entity announced that, from 2024, the club world cup in the current model will be called the Intercontinental Cup, with an expanded format with 32 clubs debuting from 2025.

This was the second match between Fluminense and Al Ahly, who had already faced each other in 1961, in a friendly in Cairo that ended with the Brazilian team winning 2-1, with goals from Waldo and Telê Santana.

The Egyptian team has a history of clashing against Brazilian teams in the World Cup. In five matches in the competition in which they faced teams from Brazil, they lost four (Inter, in 2006; Corinthians, in 2012; Palmeiras, in 2021; and Flamengo, in 2022), and won one, in 2020, when they beat Palmeiras in the dispute by penalties to define third place.

The African champions never reached the decision, with their best result in the competition being third place on three occasions (2006, 2020 and 2021).

African teams have reached the final twice: in 2013, Raja Casablanca, from Morocco, was runner-up, after being defeated by Bayern in the final. On that occasion, the Moroccans eliminated Atlético-MG in the semifinals. In 2010, Mazembe reached the final against Inter Milan, after defeating Internacional.