- The penultimate match of the FIFA Intercontinental Cup pits the champions of South America and Africa in the FIFA Challenger Cup.
Three days after they saw off Cruz Azul in the FIFA Derby of the Americas, Flamengo now meet Pyramids at Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium today to determine who will be the FIFA Challenger Cup champions. In addition to the standalone silverware, there’s also another major prize on offer for the winner: a date with Paris Saint-Germain in the final of the FIFA Intercontinental Cup, to be held in Qatar on Wednesday.
Having been in Qatar now for close to a week, Flamengo should be in high spirits after they saw off Cruz Azul 2-1 to win the Derby of the Americas. That continued an extraordinary month of title-gathering for the Rio giants, who won both the CONMEBOL Copa Libertadores and domestic Serie A crowns before their departure to Qatar.
Giorgian De Arrescaeta, Flamengo midfielder, said on the eve of the match: “Each team has its identity and its players. This is a team that works and fights incredibly hard on the pitch. We’re finishing off a season full of major achievements and still fighting for the dream of becoming world champions. I still haven’t won a title here in Qatar. I’m happy to be back here, but the focus is first on reaching the final, and then on trying to become champions.”
This is Flamengo’s second participation in a FIFA competition this year, having participated in the Club World Cup where they topped their group without losing a match before bowing out against Bayern Munich in the round of 16. Flamengo twice competed in the previous version of this competition, reaching the final in 2019 where they lost to Liverpool, and securing third place in the 2022 edition. Flamengo have lost only one of their last 12 matches in all competitions.
African champions Pyramids also arrive in a good spell of form, sitting second in the Egyptian Premier League with just the one loss through their first dozen fixtures. Head coach Krunoslav Jurcic has named a strong travelling squad, headlined by Pharoahs stars Ahmed El Shenawy, Mohamed Hamdy, Mohanad Lasheen and Mostafa Fathi. Off the back of a wonderful showing in a 3-1 win in Jeddah against Al Ahli in the FIFA African-Asian-Pacific Cup, they also know that they can compete at this level.
Krunoslav Jurcic, Pyramids coach, said: “First of all, I’m so proud to be part of such a big competition, an elite competition with the biggest clubs in the world. We had an excellent season in Africa, winning the Champions League and now we came to Qatar to play the semi-final and hopefully the final. It’s a big reward for us and I want to enjoy it and for the players to enjoy all the moments of the competition because this is the top level of football.”
The Intercontinental Cup brings together the six winners from each confederation’s top-tier club tournament in a condensed format. It is designed not to be a competitor to the 32-team Club World Cup, launched last year by FIFA and organised every four years.
Players to watch
At 31, Giorgian de Arrascaeta is arguably at the peak of his considerable powers. Flamengo’s playmaking prince had another superb domestic campaign where he plundered 18 goals and provided 14 assists in the league. The Uruguayan star then immediately translated that form onto the global stage, scoring both goals in his team’s 2-1 win over Cruz Azul earlier this week to book their place in the Challenger Cup.
There is no question where the Pyramids goal threat is likely to come from and that is in the form of star striker Fiston Mayele. The Congo DR marksman struck a hat-trick as the Egyptian side toppled Al Ahli in the African-Asian-Pacific Cup and although he has been held without a goal in his past three domestic outings, he looms as a player that Flamengo will need to keep in check.