Flamengo’s commanding 2-0 victory over Esperance de Tunis on Monday has sent a clear message to Group D favourites Chelsea, underlining the Brazilian outfit’s serious credentials at FIFA’s newly expanded Club World Cup.
The reigning Brazilian Cup champions will next face Chelsea, who earlier dispatched MLS side LAFC 2-0, in a tantalising encounter at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia on Friday. The clash is expected to determine the group winner and could shape the knockout rounds.
While European sides have dominated the Club World Cup in recent years, Flamengo’s assured display suggests they could be the team to end that streak. No European club has tasted defeat in the competition since Chelsea themselves lost to Corinthians in the 2012 final. Since then, clubs from the continent have gone unbeaten in 27 matches.
South American giants Palmeiras and Boca Juniors both came close to upsets against Porto and Benfica respectively in their opening matches of the tournament. With six further fixtures between South American and European sides remaining in the group stage, the opportunity to break Europe’s stranglehold remains wide open.
Unbeaten for over a month and sitting atop the Brazilian league table, Flamengo are flourishing under the composed leadership of former Atlético Madrid defender Filipe Luís. The team displayed poise and cohesion throughout Monday’s encounter, controlling much of the match with intelligent possession play and a balanced approach.
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Flamengo midfielder Jorginho reflected on the team’s strong performance:
“We enjoyed the goal, and the fans were amazing, as I’ve seen before, but now I’m living it. The most important thing is the performance that we did. I think we controlled the game, we played well and we deserved the win. That was the most important thing for us.
It felt really good, because we have great players who understand the game. I feel that we can understand each other very quickly, and it’s going to be a good bond with the group. We just need to keep working together and move forward.”
“At the beginning we managed to control the game with possession. Then after the first goal we slowed down a bit and that cost us some time with the ball. But in the second half we managed to score the second goal, a great win, three points.
Now we have to face the next chapter for this group. Chelsea is a difficult team, but I’m very happy with the win.”
With momentum on their side and belief growing within the squad, Flamengo head into Friday’s high-stakes clash full of confidence,and with the chance to shift the balance of power at this year’s Club World Cup.
