Renato Gaucho calls Fluminense FC the ‘ugly duckling' of final 8 Club World Cup teams
The Brazilian guided his side to the quarterfinals after beating UEFA Champions League finalists Inter Milan 2-0. It was a major upset and banked the club over $13 million in prize money, taking their total earnings to around $40 million.
Advertisement
However, they face a much wealthier side in Al Hilal, whose expensive squad had been supported by the Saudi Arabian state's Public Investment Fund (PIF).
They caused the biggest shock of the tournament by knocking out Manchester City 4-3 in extra time.
'Looking at all of these teams [in the quarterfinals], Fluminense is the ugly duckling, in financial terms at least,' said Gaucho. 'This is a big competition, facing big opponents. They have the financial means. Once again, football is decided on the pitch.
'We have certain difficulties when it comes to the budget, so there is a gap with them. Outside the pitch, of course, when you look at their budget, they can be compared to a European team.'
Fluminense have outlasted their more storied Rio de Janeiro neighbours, Flamengo and Botafogo.
But they are not getting ahead of themselves after witnessing how many problems Al Hilal caused City on the break.
'They played beautifully against Manchester City. They really deserved to win,' said Gaucho. 'They knew how to play that game. Manchester City maybe underestimates the opponent somehow. We cannot underestimate the opponent. If they reach this stage, it's not by coincidence. We have to respect them.
'It will be a beautiful clash. Both teams want to reach the semifinals. Outside the pitch, they have different conditions financially, but on the pitch, it's a different story. People might say Fluminense is an underdog, but we reached the quarterfinals.'
Fluminense have certainly not lacked belief despite being unfancied. Much of that is credit to captain and former PSG and Chelsea center back Thiago Silva, who is still going strong at 40.
Video footage emerged of Silva giving a passionate pre-match speech to his teammates about the loss of his stepfather and the need to seize the moment.
Advertisement
'Thiago said we need to live our lives to the fullest,' he said. 'We are living this magical moment with Fluminense. We need to continue to make history with our team. We have the opportunity of playing in the semifinals among the best teams in the world. I don't know when another opportunity like this will come, if ever. We need to live this moment to the fullest. This is the attitude we need to adopt.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
4 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Brazil starlet Estevao 'ready' for Chelsea move: Palmeiras coach
Palmeiras coach Abel Ferreira said he believes teenage prodigy Estevao Willian is ready to take the leap to the Premier League after he marked his farewell appearance for the Brazilian club with a goal against future employers Chelsea on Friday. Estevao, 18, scored a fantastic equaliser in the Club World Cup quarter-final between the teams in Philadelphia but could not prevent Chelsea claiming a 2-1 win thanks to a late own-goal. Advertisement He will now complete a move to the London club, finally heading to England just over a year after Chelsea agreed to pay Palmeiras a reported 57 million euros ($67.1m), including bonuses, for him. "I don't have sons, I have two daughters, but he is my son," Ferreira said after the match at Lincoln Financial Field, adding that he had exchanged words with Chelsea coach Enzo Maresca about Estevao. "I spoke before with Maresca. He is a nice coach, and I told him that they bought an amazing player but more than this they bought an amazing person. "He is an amazing player and I said that they need to take care of him and embrace him because for sure in the beginning he will make mistakes, but you saw today that he is a player with a lot of skills who can win a game on his own. He has that capacity." Advertisement Estevao was named the best player in the Brazilian league last year and has shown plenty of glimpses of his potential at the Club World Cup. Now he must try to win a place in the Chelsea team in the face of stiff competition, with Maresca having a wide array of attacking options at his disposal. "For sure he will need the support of the coach and directors because he is young and it is the first time he is leaving his country," Ferreira added. "I told him it won't be the same because the sun comes out two or three times a year, the night comes early, but I believe Chelsea have all the conditions to support him. Advertisement "He is a fantastic player and I think he is ready." - 'Huge talent' - Ferreira, the Portuguese coach who has been in charge of Palmeiras since 2020, earlier hugged Estevao in front of reporters, with the player smiling despite the disappointment of his team's exit. Maresca said: "I spoke to Estevao for the first time after the game and told him it was the perfect night because we won and he scored. "You can see he is a huge talent, a fantastic player, and the only thing for me is that when you come from South America or in general another part of the world to Europe, you need to adapt. Advertisement "So we need to help him to adapt and first of all to be happy, continue to enjoy football, but we don't have any doubt because he is such a good player that he is going to be a very important player for Chelsea." Another future Chelsea player, Jamie Gittens, was in attendance in Philadelphia with the England Under-21 international winger joining from Borussia Dortmund. "Jamie was here tonight and was on the pitch and will be with us for probably another day or two," Maresca said. "He will then go on holiday and come back when we start the new season." as/dh
Yahoo
23 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Enzo Maresca says Chelsea Club World Cup win over Palmeiras was ‘perfect night'
Enzo Maresca hailed the 'perfect night' after his Chelsea side reached the Club World Cup final and witnessed a sparkling display by incoming signing Estevao Willian. A deflected late Malo Gusto cross saw the Londoners snatch a 2-1 victory in their quarter-final against Palmeiras in Philadelphia. Advertisement That came after Cole Palmer's early opener had been cancelled out by a stunning strike from Estevao, the 18-year-old winger who is to join them after the tournament. Maresca said: 'We're very happy. It's a fantastic day. The semi-finals of the Club World Cup – the best clubs in the world – and we are there. 'Probably for us it has been the perfect night because we won and Estevao scored, so it was very good for all of us.' Estevao was given a tough time by Marc Cucurella in a first half Chelsea largely controlled but he shone in the second period as the Brazilians fought their way back into the game. Advertisement He equalised when he took a pass from the right and smashed a shot past Robert Sanchez from a tight angle. 'You can see he is a huge talent, you can see is a fantastic player,' said Maresca. 'The only thing now is when you come from South America or another part of the world to Europe you need to adapt. 'We are going to help him to adapt and first of all to enjoy football. We don't have any doubt, as he is so good, that he is going to be an important player for Chelsea.' Joao Pedro came on for his Chelsea debut (Chris Szagola/AP) Chelsea, who gave a debut to new signing Joao Pedro off the bench in the second half, will now play another Brazilian side in Fluminense in New York on Tuesday for a place in the final. Advertisement Maresca felt his side had come through a tough game. The Italian said: 'The first half was very good and we finished very good but the first 15-20 minutes of the second half we struggled. 'But it is normal. At this stage of the season, the energy levels from South America teams are a bit different compared to us. Overall we did very well with that.' Estevao, who swapped shirts with Palmer at the end of the game, paid tribute to the club he is leaving. The teenager said: 'I'm very happy I could score a goal to help my club. Unfortunately this wasn't the result we wanted but we gave our best on the pitch and now I am moving on and I thank Palmeiras for everything. Advertisement 'What my father says is he wants me to give my best on the pitch and this is what I did. I did everything I could to score a goal but we cannot win every day. 'Now I move on I will cheer Palmeiras on and I am so happy to have been part of this club. Palmeiras opened the door for me and I am deeply thankful to them all.'
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Chelsea beat Palmeiras and advance to semi-finals
Palmeiras fought with everything they had, but couldn't stay alive in the Club World Cup. On Friday, in Philadelphia, Abel Ferreira's team faced Chelsea, fell behind, managed to muster the strength to equalize, but were punished in the final minutes: 2-1. With this result, the Verdão says goodbye to the competition and sees the Blues advance to the semifinals to face another Brazilian team: Fluminense, who dispatched Al Hilal in Orlando. Advertisement Blues Superiority Chelsea took the initiative from the first minute and gave little room to Palmeiras in Philadelphia. Just five minutes in, Cole Palmer received the ball at the edge of the area, pulled it onto his right foot and struck hard, only to be stopped by a good save from Weverton. Shortly after, the London pressure took effect. In another good move on the right, Chalobah advanced with space and passed to Palmer, who turned well at the edge of the area, shook off the marking and finished neatly into the corner, leaving the goalkeeper no chance. After the goal, the Blues continued to control the game, dominated the opponent's half and only failed to extend their lead due to a lack of precision in finishing. Advertisement On the other side, Abel Ferreira's team took a while to get into the game, and with Estevão heavily marked, they only managed to find some balance in the final minutes of the first half. At 41 minutes, Vanderlan had Palmeiras' main chance, but Robert Sánchez saved comfortably. London Efficiency After the break, Abel Ferreira made the necessary adjustments and Palmeiras was transformed in the second half. So much so that, just eight minutes in, the Verdão equalized. After a good sequence on the right, Richard Ríos attacked the space and passed nicely to young Estevão, who faced the marking of Colwill and, even from a tight angle, struck beautifully into the net. The ball even hit the crossbar before going in. Advertisement In response to the conceded goal, Enzo Maresca reacted quickly and brought on João Pedro, newly arrived from Brighton, and also fielded Madueke, looking to create more offensive volume for the English side. On the other side, Abel Ferreira bet on his talisman: Paulinho, who came on to add depth on the left side of the Verdão attack. As expected, the game opened up with good spaces for both sides. Then at 83 minutes, after a short corner on the left, Malo Gusto received near the baseline and attempted a cross. The ball deflected off Giay in the middle and deceived Weverton, who couldn't make the save: 2-1. In the final minutes, Palmeiras went all out and almost saw their deficit increase. João Pedro and Madueke flirted with the third goal, but Weverton prevented it. End of the line and Chelsea qualified for the semifinals of the Club World Cup.
