Soccer-Fluminense embrace underdog role as they prepare to face Chelsea
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (Reuters) -Fluminense are relishing their role as the Club World Cup's underdogs ahead of Tuesday's semi-final against Chelsea, with manager Renato Gaucho embracing an "us against the world" mentality that has carried the Brazilian side to an improbable run.
The Rio de Janeiro club arrived in the United States given just a 0.05% chance of winning the title by Opta's supercomputer and were initially tipped to exit in the group stage.
Instead, they defied predictions by finishing second in Group F, holding Borussia Dortmund and Mamelodi Sundowns to draws and beating Ulsan Hyundai to advance.
The charismatic, 62-year-old Renato has transformed the club from relegation battlers to giant-killers in three months, helping them to knock out Champions League runners-up Inter Milan in the last 16 and Al-Hilal in the quarter-finals with his trademark extravagant guidance from the touchline.
"When I say we're the ugly duckling, with all due respect to all the other clubs, I'm talking about our financial situation," Renato said. "Fluminense is only 10% of the financial size of these big clubs. So these big clubs have all the resources to sign the best players."
Despite the financial disparity, Renato believes his side's attitude and concentration have been the key factors in their remarkable journey.
"What got Fluminense to the semi-finals was exactly the attitude my team had on the pitch, their concentration, their focus and the hard work of the whole team," he said.
The Brazilian showman is plotting carefully for Chelsea, describing the clash at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey as "a game of chess" that will be decided by tactical discipline.
"It will be a game of patience. We will be careful," Renato said. "Of course, possession will be very important, especially at 3pm, which is the kickoff time. The heat is unbearable! If you have to keep running after your opponent, if you don't have possession, you wear yourself out.
"We have the utmost respect for Chelsea but it's a game of chess. You can be sure that it will be a tight game, at least in my opinion, with few opportunities. And whoever takes advantage of all the data will certainly be the winner."
Renato said Fluminense would look to neutralise Chelsea's key players while trying to keep the ball and play their own game as they continue their fairy-tale run.
(Reporting by Fernando Kallas; editing by Clare Fallon)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Malay Mail
an hour ago
- Malay Mail
Mbappe set to face PSG for first time since bitter split in Club World Cup semi-final
NEW JERSEY, July 8 — Kylian Mbappe will come up against Paris Saint-Germain for the first time since leaving the French club a year ago as Xabi Alonso's Real Madrid revolution gets its biggest test yet in Wednesday's Club World Cup semi-final. Mbappe should be remembered as a PSG legend, having spent seven prolific campaigns there and eventually departing as their all-time top scorer with 256 goals in 308 games. But his legacy was a little tainted by the manner of his departure, the sense among many that for the last half of his time in Paris he was just waiting for the right moment to move to Madrid, the club he had dreamed of representing as a young boy. PSG, under their Qatari president Nasser al-Khelaifi, were not happy with the way in which Mbappe chose to run down his contract in order to sign for Real in 2024, denying them a transfer fee. A bitter legal dispute has gone on between the parties for much of the time since, with Mbappe claiming he is owed 55 million euros ($64.4 million) in unpaid wages and bonuses from his spell in Paris. The latest twist came just this week, when one of Mbappe's lawyers told AFP that the France captain had withdrawn a complaint of moral harassment against his former employers. That was after the Paris prosecutor's office revealed last month that an investigation had been opened following a complaint by the player over the way he was treated by PSG in the summer of 2023. He believes he was sidelined by PSG and made to train with players the club were looking to offload after refusing to agree a new contract. Mbappe missed a pre-season tour to Japan and the start of the next campaign before eventually being reintegrated into Luis Enrique's squad. All of that should have been behind Mbappe long ago, given the way his first season at Real has gone on a personal level. The 26-year-old, a World Cup winner in 2018, scored 43 goals in 56 matches for his new club across all competitions up to the end of the campaign in La Liga, a remarkable tally. However, Mbappe has endured frustration at the Club World Cup, not featuring at all during the group stage due to a stomach bug which led to him requiring hospital treatment. First start? In his absence, young forward Gonzalo Garcia has made the step up in impressive fashion, starting all five matches in the United States and scoring four goals. The last of those was the opener in the 3-2 quarter-final win over Borussia Dortmund at the MetLife Stadium on Saturday, but it was Mbappe who got what was ultimately the deciding goal. He came off the bench midway through the second half and scored a brilliant, acrobatic overhead kick for Real's third of the afternoon in stoppage time. 'He is still not perfect, not 100 percent, but he is getting better every day,' Alonso said of Mbappe after that match. 'Now he will have three days to keep progressing and feeling better ahead of the semi-final.' It is hard to imagine Mbappe not getting his first start of the tournament against PSG, the club who won the Champions League in the season following his departure after so many years of disappointment in Europe with him in the team. PSG came to the US fresh from crushing Inter Milan 5-0 in the Champions League final. They reached the last four with a 2-0 win over Bayern Munich in Atlanta in the last eight—despite having Willian Pacho and Lucas Hernandez sent off—and need not fear Real. 'It doesn't matter who we play in the semi-finals. All that matters is that we are there and that we want to get to the final,' said Luis Enrique, for whom this is also a special occasion given that he spent five years at Madrid as a player in the 1990s. Alonso has just taken over as Real coach after an outstanding spell with Bayer Leverkusen and has already displayed great tactical flexibility, flitting between a back four and a three-man central defence at the tournament. It will be fascinating to see which system he opts for here, and if Mbappe starts as he prepares to play against PSG for the first time since July 2017, when he was still a thrilling teenager at Monaco. — AFP
Malay Mail
an hour ago
- Malay Mail
Maresca unfazed by heat as Chelsea prepare for Fluminense showdown in Club World Cup semi-final
NEW JERSEY, July 8 — Chelsea coach Enzo Maresca shrugged off concerns about playing in hot and humid mid-afternoon conditions in Tuesday's Club World Cup semi-final against Brazilian side Fluminense, for which the Blues will be without both Liam Delap and Levi Colwill. The heat of the North American summer has made for challenging conditions for many games during the tournament, while several matches have also faced long interruptions due to storm warnings. Chelsea and Fluminense will clash at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, just outside New York City, at 3:00 pm (1900 GMT) on Tuesday, and the heat could have a serious impact on the spectacle. Real Madrid beat Borussia Dortmund at a similar time in the same stadium in the quarter-finals, and the pace of the game suffered as a result of the temperatures. 'I don't think it's just tomorrow's game. Like other teams we have already played in different conditions but the game is tomorrow at 3pm and so all we can do is adapt and try to win,' Maresca told reporters on Monday. Chelsea can welcome back midfield lynchpin Moises Caicedo after he sat out the Palmeiras tie due to suspension, but striker Delap and centre-back Colwill are both banned this time while Romeo Lavia is not fit. Nicolas Jackson, who was sent off against Flamengo, is available and new signing Joao Pedro is pushing for a start in attack. Fluminense will be the third Brazilian opponents Chelsea have faced at the competition, after they lost to Flamengo in the group stage and beat Palmeiras in the quarter-finals. 'The first two were very good with lots and lots of energy. Tomorrow no doubt it will be exactly the same,' said Maresca as his side prepare to take on the 2023 Copa Libertadores winners, captained by 40-year-old ex-Chelsea defender Thiago Silva. 'I think they have a very good and experienced coach. They have lots of good and experienced players and their style is quite clear. 'Any game at this stage of the tournament will be difficult.' Here to make history Fluminense are now flying the flag for South America and the rest of the world as they complete the semi-final line-up alongside Chelsea, Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain—three of the last five UEFA Champions League winners. Renato Portaluppi's side have enjoyed a fine tournament, holding Borussia Dortmund in the group stage, defeating Inter Milan in the last 16 and knocking out Al-Hilal of Saudi Arabia in the quarter-finals. 'It is a privilege to be coaching this team, and we are here to make history,' said Portaluppi. 'We need to believe. We are up against powerful opponents with a financial advantage but football is decided on the pitch so we need to keep that in mind.' He has called Fluminense the 'ugly duckling' of the tournament due to the enormous difference between their budget and those of the other three sides left in the United States. However, Portaluppi believes Fluminense can still compete with Chelsea on their day as they dream of reaching the final of FIFA's expanded competition. 'We had to be really competent to get this far and since the beginning I have told the team this is a huge opportunity for us. 'We are facing teams who are superior to us and we know if we take our eyes off the ball we will be going home without the title.' He added: 'I said we were the ugly duckling in financial terms because that is the reality. 'Fluminense's finances do not make 10 percent of those of the other clubs, but that doesn't mean we can't get to the final or even win the Club World Cup.' — AFP
The Star
an hour ago
- The Star
Soccer-Portugal's Seica hails fans after battling draw with Italy
GENEVA (Reuters) -Portugal centre back Ana Seica credited the support of the team's fans for inspiring them to a 1-1 draw with Italy on Monday that kept alive their hopes of reaching the knockout stage of the Women's Euros. After suffering a 5-0 loss to world champions Spain in their Group B opener in Bern on Thursday, Portugal would have been forgiven for being low on confidence heading into the clash with Italy. Not so their fans, and the drums of the Navegadoras pounded across the Stade de Geneve long before kickoff while chants and cheers urging the players to resist the Italians continued until the final whistle. "Our fans are amazing," Seica, who was an unused substitute, told Reuters after the game. "Even in the warm up, they're already there. They're already making noise ... it's what keeps us going until the 90th minute." The Portuguese players responded to the cacophony of support with a performance of true grit as they held back wave after wave of Italian attacks. "In this game, we came in a lot harder. We won more duels, something that we needed to improve, and it was shown on the pitch that we fought for it," Seica said. Goalkeeper Patricia Morais roared in relief to the crowd after making a save just before halftime but she was unable to stop Cristiana Girelli's beautiful, curling finish in the 70th minute that looked to have sent Italy into the quarter-finals. Portugal and their fans had other ideas. Diana Silva's header hit the back of the net in the 80th minute only to be disallowed for offside but, with only a minute left on the clock, the Portuguese fans exploded in delight as Diana Gomes equalised. "We kept pushing, we kept our heart. That's what we are known for ... and we got that goal," said Seica. The drums are sure to pounding again in Sion on Friday when Portugal face an already eliminated Belgium, looking for the victory they need to have a chance of staying in the tournament. (Reporting by Olivia Le Poidevin, editing by Nick Mulvenney and Peter Rutherford)
