Flamengo coach Filipe Luís expressed hope of achieving a victory against favorite Paris Saint-Germain and winning the Intercontinental Cup this Wednesday (17). The two teams will face each other at 2 p.m. (Brasilia time), at the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, Qatar.
“All opponents are different, but PSG is the best team in the world, they demonstrated it by winning the Champions League and they are in the tournament because they are the best,” Luís told Globo.
“We will, with great humility, try to win and make history,” continued the coach, still on the pitch after the 2-0 victory against Pyramids in the Intercontinental Cup semi-final.
If they manage to defeat the French, the Brazilian team will pocket $5 million (R$27.1 million) at the end of the competition.
The tournament prize pool is paid out in stages. The filing of the decision has already guaranteed Flamengo a price tag of US$4 million (21.6 million reais).
Had he been eliminated by Pyramids, the Rio de Janeiro natives would have walked away with US$2 million (Reais 10.9 million).
In addition to silver, the reds and blacks also received medals and lifted another trophy this Saturday, the Challenger Cup.
Analyzing the game of Flamengo, who won thanks to the goals of their defensive duo and set pieces, Luís praised the balance of the team.
“We have powerful players on the offensive side, but I have a complete game on the defensive side. The team knew how to defend itself. The result was deserved,” said the coach.
This Saturday, Flamengo celebrated the 44th anniversary of the only world title won by the club, on December 13, 1981. On this occasion, the team beat Liverpool 3-0, in the old Club World Cup format.
In 2019, Flamengo once again fought for the World Cup against Liverpool, but on this occasion the English emerged victorious.
This Wednesday’s final will be the fourth confrontation between Flamengo and PSG, and the record is even, with a victory for each side and a draw. The Brazilian team won a friendly match in 1975 by 2-0. In 1979, still in a friendly, they beat PSG: 3-1. And the most recent duel took place in 1991, at the Paris Tournament, with a 1-1 draw.
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