Decided to open a sticky thread for this tournament. I guess the short version is Palmeiras, Flamengo, Fluminense should all get out of their group if things go well. Botafogo would be lucky to get out. But once you get to the knockouts, it will be tough. Going over the Brazilian groups a little more closely: Palmeiras, in Group A, are being picked to win it by many pundits, not just in Brazil, because Porto are so poor right now. However, Palmeiras x Porto is the first match, so they have to start strong to take that winnable first place. Al Ahly could surprise, and I saw one pundit pick them in second over Porto. Inter Miami, despite Messi, seem at a level below, but who knows. The problem is that even if they win, they get a tough second round match, probably with Atletico. And if they can somehow get past that, they will then face Bayern in the quarters. Botafogo got matched up with PSG and Atlético Madrid. Realistically they just have to win their match with Seattle, but are expected to lose to the two Europeans. Maybe they have a shot if one of the Europeans isn't really into it, but Botafogo aren't firing on all cylinders right now and keep selling and buying so their team is always in transition. Hard to see them getting out. They're probably counting on the group stage money to help them in the Libertadores and Brasileirao races. Flamengo are in Group D with Chelsea and a lot of Flamengo fans see a chance of beating Chelsea. And we could... but considering how we do in the matches that are easy on paper, we really have to make sure we don't give up points to Esperance and LAFC. I could see that happening and it would be seen as a disaster. Now there's also the added problem that Gerson is going to leave and the fans have turned on him because of the timing of the news, some don't even want him to play the tournament. If Flamengo can pull off the win over Chelsea though, it could be the difference between playing Bayern Munich or Benfica, and a second round match versus Benfica is winnable, beating Bayern would be a huge upset. If they do make it to the quarters, they would match up against PSG probably. Fluminense are in a group that, on paper, they should get through, in the same way that, on paper, Brazilian teams should get through to the final of the Intercontinental Cup. They really have to watch out for the South African team, Mamelodi Sundowns. That will be the last group match, and it will probably be for second place. The first match is against Borussia, so Fluminense will probably start with a loss and Mamelodi with a win. If they do get through, they would likely face Inter in the round of 16. It's hard to see any Brazilian making it past the quarters, at best. Realistically Round of 16 will be the expectation for Palmeiras, Flamengo and Fluminense, but they all have different things to watch out for to make sure they don't trip up. First round matches for Brazilian teams (Eastern US time): Palmeiras x Porto, Sunday, 6pm Botafogo x Seattle, Sunday, 10pm Flamengo x Esperance, Monday 9pm Fluminense x Dortmund, Tuesday, 12pm
I will be going to the match in Miami. I was also able to visit the team where they are training. Took some pics with Abel, Estevão, Vitor Roque, etc ... pretty cool.
I'm less than 3 hours away from Nashville and just over 3 hours away from Atlanta and Charlotte, but with Flamengo in Philadelphia and Orlando that's a little too far to go for one game, for me. There are two group D matches around here. But unfortunately it's LAFC x Esperance in Nashville, and Chelsea x LA in Atlanta, Flamengo did not get drawn at these stadiums. The most high-profile game around here is Real Madrid x Pachuca in Charlotte. They could play a second round match in Charlotte, if they are second in the group. Now, if Flamengo actually win the group AND win the second round match, the quarter would be in Atlanta, on a long weekend. The issue will be price at that point, I think the later rounds will not have trouble selling out, but I'll wait and see if that's likely to happen.
So, Palmeiras x Porto ended 0x0, but it was a good game. Exiting like the other 0x0 in the group, but better quality, I think. Palmeiras definitely deserved the win in my opinion. Now both have to make sure they don't trip up against Ah Ahly and Miami, and fight for first on goal difference. Botafogo beat Seattle 2x1. I only watched the first half, in which Botafogo were patient and earned two goals, but Seattle did threaten. Looks like in the second half Botafogo had to hang on to avoid giving up the draw. Botafogo's next match is Thursday night against PSG.
Was about to write this. Palmeiras could have won. Had a great triple chance at the end of the first half and the ball unbelievably didn't go in. Porto had good chances as well. Weverton made 3 great saves to keep them from scoring. Porto physically faded late in the 2nd half but we couldn't get a goal. I saw most of Botafogo's match. Seattle were very competitive even in the 1st half when Botafogo scored 2 header goals. 2nd half Seattle really dominated the match but their finishing was pretty atrocious.
Chelsea 2x0 LAFC was a slow-paced game and probably the worst possible outcome for Flamengo fans' egos. We haven't even played Esperance yet and some are already going on about how we will beat this Chelsea, based on the opener, as if it were an indication of how they will approach the game with us.
Solid match by Flamengo to win 2x0. When they lost some pace and Esperance got some initiative and a good chance to score, Flamengo woke up and scored the second goal, when sometimes they would suffer and try to hold on. Jorginho with a sweet assist on that second goal. It wasn't an amasso, feeling-wise, but possession wise it certainly was dominant and overall there was little risk. It will be interesting to see how Flamengo play against Chelsea though, which team will have possession, and if Flamengo are on the back foot, will they be able to counter?
Feels like after scoring the 1st goal, Filipe Luis wanted to wait for Esperance to come out more and explore the spaces which they only did some time in the 2nd half. Jorginho had a good start.
Full credit to Renato Gaúcho for Fluminense's performance today. They came out and pressed Dortmund, they overloaded the right side and created chances and they really should have won, but couldn't put away chances, so it was 0x0 in the end.
@Ombak @celito I was out and about in New York City today and I saw at least three different groups or individuals wearing Palmeiras jerseys. I also saw one Flamengo jersey, one Londrina t-shirt, and yes, I saw two guys wearing Fluminense jerseys.
Besides following the Brazilian teams, I'm trying to keep track of the Brazilian players who might be on the radar. A few notes from the first round so far: Militão is on the Madrid roster but not fit enough to be on the bench yet. Rodrygo did start today for Madrid, as did Vini. Too early to see how their roles might change under Xabi Alonso and Vini seemed to have a nagging injury so probably needs rest. Douglas Luiz gets to play the second half for Juventus who are already up 4x0 on Al-Ain. Hopefully he gets more minutes. The Al-Hilal contingent could potentially get a lot out of this tournament. Marcos Leonardo earned the PK that tied the match today. Renan Lodi was solid, but of course, he has to overcome his own foot in mouth disease as well. Yan Couto only got 3 minutes against Fluminense. Carlos Augusto started for Inter and got an assist and a solid match overall, played almost 70 minutes. I'm hoping he gets to start all games, maybe that will let them rest Bastoni and DiMarco alternately. Andrey was on the bench for Chelsea and did not play. I hope he gets minutes or even a start against LAFC. I would imagine they'll use their starters against Flamengo so he'll start on the bench. Marquinhos started for PSG. Beraldo did not play. For Manchester City, all 3 Brazilians started today against Wydad. Savinho was very active. Vitor Reis did not stand out to me (and this week there was an article stating that his objective is to make it to World Cup 2026, of course that's going to be tough considering how extensive the list ahead of him is right now). Ederson made a couple of saves but nothing that stands out. Samu Lino started for Atletico and Pepê came in as a sub for Porto, but neither stood out. I won't list all of the players on Brazilian teams, but would highlight Pedro and John as players that could stand out potentially in this tournament and help their case towards a September call-up.
Finally a goal in Group A . First was an own goal and then Flaco made it 2 on a counter. Estevão and Flaco missed 2 great chances previously. Game stopped for lightning threat.
Solid win for Palmeiras. I was going to comment that I could see a 0x0 in Porto x Miami, even if unlikely, but Porto scored early, on a PK 8 mins in. It looks like it will come down to saldo, which is probably expected. But who knows, Al-Ahly could surprise Porto. I do think Palmeiras will dispatch Miami though. EDIT: Well, I guess I spoke too soon... looks like Palmeiras x Inter Miami will be the deciding match for first place.
Botafogo doing the improbable. Beating PSG 1 x 0 at HT. Botafogo defended very well. PSG wasn't able to create much. PSG however did not start Fabian Ruiz and Nuno Mendes. Dembele is also hurt.
Also didn't start Marquinhos. Yeah, I know a lot of Brazilians don't like him, but he's the captain of this PSG. 3 minutes of added time left as I type... waiting to see if they hold on. You know, earlier today I was going to remark that Botafogo could take second in the group with a good match against Atletico and that would be so cruel to Botafogo and Palmeiras, who might be forced to play each other in the round of 16... Now Palmeiras might end up facing PSG! It's far from certain though. Botafogo have to make sure they don't lose to Atletico or the group could be a three way tie on 6 points. And they did it. Botafogo win 1x0. The other cruel thing about this? This was Libertadores vs. UCL champion, but it doesn't mean a title, just a first-round win.
One comment I saw on a Brazilian sports portal was this: " o brasileiro hoje, se torceu contra o Botafogo, bom coração não tem." I agree. I was not expecting Botafogo to defeat PSG, and I found myself rooting for Botafogo the entire match. The anxiety and excitement I felt as the match came to a close was comparable to what I would've felt in an elimination match for either SPFC or Brazil - I wanted Botafogo to accomplish the façanha and I'm glad it happened. Even if Botafogo and PSG somehow play again in this tournament (I haven't looked at the bracketing prior to writing this comment, so you guys get my point) and PSG wins by 5 or 6 goals, history has been made. A 13-year drought of CONMEBOL wins over UEFA wins in official club competitions has ended, and just as was the case on the last occasion a CONMEBOL team defeated a UEFA team (Corinthians 1 Chelsea 0), a team from Brazil terminated that streak. And may I add that between 2005 and 2023 - the period during which FIFA organized the Club World Cup after the extinction of the old non-FIFA-organized Intercontinental Cup - the only occasions in which the Champions' League champion was defeated by a CONMEBOL team - in fact, defeated at all, happened when they faced Brazilian opponents: SPFC in 2005, Internacional in 2006, and Corinthians in 2012. And now, Botafogo, who won its first and only Libertadores less than one year ago. De fato, tem coisas que só acontecem com o Botafogo.
Not gonna lie, I was nervous. Flamengo played their game, but Chelsea were competent enough to make that dangerous and scored first. But it was a great game throughout and turning it around to win 3x1 felt so good.
Colocamos os ingleses na roda. Controlamos a maior parte da partida. O Filipe Luís foi cirúrgico nas escolhas dele. O Pedro ainda está fora de forma e se recuperando da lesão. Não tinha como jogar colocando pressão no Chelsea com ele ali na frente. A equipe tá de parabéns.
The Brazilian teams are doing well in the tournament after several fiascos (mazembe, raja, pumas, al Hilal). I believe this is due to the foreign coaches, who have brought new ideas and modern training methods. There weren't many foreign coaches in Brazil in 2010, today there are several. Brazilian teams seem stronger tactically.
Great week for the Brazilian clubs, obviously, with all 4 topping their groups at the moment. Botafogo will be the first one to play their last game and it is the toughest of the remaining matches. 3pm Eastern tomorrow they face Atlético. If the result is a 2x0 loss or better they will qualify. If it's a draw or win they will win the group. If they lose 3x0 or worse they will be out. Palmeiras' group play in the evening tomorrow. @celito I hope you get to enjoy your team beating Messi's Miami. A draw or win means first place. A loss means goal difference could determine if they advance or not, depending on the other match result. Flamengo plays Tuesday evening but are already guaranteed first place. Filipe Luís will probably rotate heavily. The big question will be who takes second in the other group, to face Flamengo. Benfica face Bayern and a point would be enough to qualify. If they can upset Bayern, though, then Bayern would be second. Boca Juniors will hope Bayern wins and try to make up a 7 goal difference to catch up with Benfica. If Benfica lose 1x0, Boca need to win by the same 6x0 that Benfica did to qualify. If Benfica lose 2x1, Boca need to win by 7. Fluminense have a complicated match. Not as tough as Botafogo, but probably more "traiçoeiro". Assuming Borussia beat Ulsan, Fluminense cannot afford to lose to Mamelodi or the African team will steal their place. If Fluminense tie, they will at least have second guaranteed. And if Borussia and Fluminense both win, it comes down to goal difference. Fluminense are 1 goal ahead right now.
Trying to remember a stand-out performance by Brazilians (on other teams) this week. Vini had good numbers for Madrid today, but not necessarily a standout, but I did not get to watch. Militão still not fit for the bench. Rodrygo was on the bench but did not play. Man City are playing the last game of the round right now and rotated the squad completely. Savinho, Vitor Reis and Ederson all on the bench. The three Al-Hilal Brazilians started today, 0x0 draw and average to slightly above average ratings only. Douglas Luiz did not play for Juventus yesterday. Yan Couto played 90 minutes for Borussia. They won 4x3 but his rating was just below average. Carlos Augusto played 90 minutes and started on the defensive line this time, instead of in midfield. Inter have to win on Wednesday if they want first place in their group. They play River Plate. Andrey Santos did not play against Flamengo. The coach has said he and other new players will have their chance, but that doesn't necessarily mean in this tournament. A lot of Chelsea fans have high expectations for him and are not happy he hasn't played. Samu Lino did not play against Seattle. Marquinhos did not play against Botafogo. Beraldo started and had an ok rating, but he did get on the wrong side of Igor Jesus on the goal. For Porto a couple of Brazilians, Otávio and William Gomes, got a few minutes late in the game, but not Pepê.
Well, a bad day for Brazilian teams, but disaster averted by Palmeiras. Inter Miami was up 2x0 and Palmeiras were in second place, meaning a match-up with PSG, but they did get 2 late goals to tie it and win the group. Round of 16 match-ups so far: PSG x Inter Miami Palmeiras x Botafogo Winner of PSG x Inter Miami gets the winner of Flamengo's match. We'll know who Flamengo faces tomorrow.