All 4 Brazilian clubs advance at Club World Cup. One is guaranteed to make the quarterfinals
SAO PAULO: One clear and unexpected force has surged as the group stage of the Club World Cup comes to a close: Brazil.
Flamengo, Palmeiras, Botafogo and Fluminense — all Copa Libertadores winners in recent years — all advanced to the second round. All offered tough competition to the powerful European clubs, and all have excited tens of millions of fans at home.
There's renewed hope for Brazilian fans after years of defeats against European teams in FIFA competitions.
Flamengo and Palmeiras topped their groups — Flamengo stunned Chelsea 3-1 to be the first team to qualify for the knockout rounds. Botafogo, which shocked Champions League winner Paris Saint-Germain, and Fluminense qualified in second place.
"Our first objective was the Round-of-16, but that isn't the end objective," Fluminense midfielder Jhon Arias said Wednesday after a 0-0 draw with South Africa's Mamelodi Sundowns. All four clubs from Brazil have similar expectations for the knockout stage.
Botafogo and Palmeiras will face off Saturday, a game which guarantees at least one Brazilian club a spot in the quarterfinals. Flamengo takes on Bayern Munich on Sunday and Fluminense will face Inter Milan on Monday.
Corinthians was the last Brazilian club to win the world club title, beating Chelsea in 2012. That tournament format was much smaller than the current 32-team competition which features clubs from five continents.
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