December 15 – Brazilian and South American champions Flamengo will take on Paris Saint-Germain in the final of the Intercontinental Cup after eliminating Egypt’s Pyramids 2-0.
Léo Pereira and Danilo headed the Rio club to the final with goals either side of the pause in a dominant display from the Brazilians. Twice, Uruguayan playmaker Giorgian De Arrascaeta provided the assist as he steered Flamengo to a convincing victory.
Flamengo manager Filipe Luis looked forward to the final on Wednesday against the European champions PSG at the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium. The winner will receive $5 million in prize money. Calling PSG the best team in the world, he said: “And we, with all the humility in the world, will try to win and make history.”
Flamengo first eliminated Cruz Azul of Mexico 2-1 to progress in the tournament, which Flamengo president Eduardo Baptista had previously criticised, saying: “I think the Intercontinental Cup is absolutely unfair. We’ll arrive less than 20 hours before the game, and we’ll lose money if we’re knocked out in the first leg. Look what happened to Botafogo last year. The other day we were discussing financial fair play. And sporting fair play, it’s not right for the Libertadores champion team to arrive to play with less than 24 hours’ notice, after a 15-hour trip, with a 7-hour time difference…”
Last year, Botafogo crashed out 3-0 against Mexico’s Pachuca in their first match of the tournament.
European champions Real Madrid won the tournament and this year PSG are the favourites.
Last spring, the French club won the Champions League for the first time, defeating Inter Milan 5-0 in the competition’s final. Manager Luis Henrique said: “We’re going to play against one of the best teams in the world. It will be difficult, but that’s a motivation, because it’s an opportunity for PSG.”
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