By Agência Brasil
With files from Esportes Guru
PSG beat Flamengo to win a world-class competition for the first time in its history (Photo: PSG/Twitter)
Flamengo were defeated by PSG 2-1 on penalties, after a 1-1 draw in regulation time, on Wednesday (17) at the Ahmad bin Ali stadium, in the city of Al Rayan (Qatar). The French team won the FIFA Intercontinental Cup title.
Brazilian clubs will have to wait a little longer to celebrate another world championship, which is highly regarded in the country as the biggest honour a team can achieve. Corinthians remains the last South American club to do it, having defeated Chelsea 1-0 in Japan in 2012.
The French team opened the scoring with Georgian striker Kvaratskhelia in the 37th minute of the first half. The Rio de Janeiro team managed to equalize in the 16th minute of the second half, thanks to a penalty kick by midfielder Jorginho. And in the penalty shootout, Russian goalkeeper Safonov shone, saving shots from Saul, Pedro, Léo Pereira, and Luiz Araújo, securing a 2-1 victory for the French team.
Thus, the team managed by head coach Filipe Luís saw their dream of winning another world club competition title postponed, as happened in 1981 (when they beat Liverpool 3-0 in Japan, to win the Intercontinental Cup.
Despite the setback in the Intercontinental Cup final, Flamengo had a historic season, winning four trophies: the Rio de Janeiro State Championship, the Brazilian Super Cup, the Copa Libertadores, and the Brazilian Championship.
Read more about it here: Flamengo just won the double – and you won’t believe who’s their manager
This was the fourth match between Flamengo and the Parisian team in history. The first encounter between the two teams was in 1975, when Flamengo triumphed 2-0. In 1979, the French team came out on top, winning 3-1. The clubs also drew 1-1 in 1991.
Six Brazilian clubs have already won the Club World Cup: São Paulo (1992, 1993 and 2005), Corinthians (2000 and 2012), Santos (1962 and 1963), Internacional (2006), Grêmio (1983) and Flamengo (1981).
Since Corinthians last won in 2012, Brazil has suffered five runner-up finishes with four different clubs.
Grêmio lost to Real Madrid in 2017, Flamengo was beaten by Liverpool in 2019, Palmeiras fell to Chelsea in the 2021 final (played in 2022), and Fluminense was the runner-up to Manchester City in 2023.
Atlético-MG (2013), Palmeiras (2020, but played in 2020) and Botafogo (2024) were eliminated before reaching the final.