1 year ago
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ESPN News Services
Jul 7, 2025, 03:55 PM ET
Fluminense are relishing their relation arsenic the Club World Cup's underdogs up of Tuesday's semifinal against Chelsea, with manager Renato Gaucho embracing an "us against the world" mentality that has carried the Brazilian broadside to an improbable run.
The Rio de Janeiro nine arrived successful the United States fixed conscionable a 0.05% accidental of winning the rubric by Opta and were initially tipped to exit successful the radical stage.
Instead, they defied predictions by finishing 2nd successful 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 nine from relegation battlers to giant-killers successful 3 months, helping them to sound retired Champions League runners-up Inter Milan successful the circular of 16 and Al Hilal successful the quarterfinals with his trademark extravagant guidance from the touchline.
"When I accidental we're the disfigured duckling, with each owed respect to each the different clubs, I'm talking astir our fiscal situation," Renato said. "Fluminense is lone 10% of the fiscal size of these large clubs. So these large clubs person each the resources to motion the champion players."
Despite the fiscal disparity, Renato believes his side's cognition and attraction person been the cardinal factors successful their singular journey.
"What got Fluminense to the semifinals was precisely the cognition my squad had connected the pitch, their concentration, their absorption and the hard enactment of the full team," helium said.
The Brazilian showman is plotting cautiously for Chelsea, describing the clash astatine MetLife Stadium successful New Jersey arsenic "a crippled of chess" that volition beryllium decided by tactical discipline.
"It volition beryllium a crippled of patience. We volition beryllium careful," Renato said. "Of course, possession volition beryllium precise important, particularly astatine 3 p.m., which is the kickoff time. The vigor is unbearable! If you person to support moving aft your opponent, if you don't person possession, you deterioration yourself out.
"We person the utmost respect for Chelsea, but it's a crippled of chess. You tin beryllium definite that it volition beryllium a choky game, astatine slightest successful my opinion, with fewer opportunities. And whoever takes vantage of each the information volition surely beryllium the winner."
Renato said Fluminense would look to neutralise Chelsea's cardinal players portion trying to support the shot and play their ain crippled arsenic they proceed their fairy-tale run.
Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca praised Brazilian shot prime up of facing his 3rd Brazilian opponents, aft Chelsea mislaid 3-1 to Flamengo successful the radical signifier and bushed Palmeiras 2-1 successful the quarter-finals.
"The prime from Brazilian players is astir apt the top, is the champion quality," helium said, portion again highlighting the conditioning spread betwixt caller South American sides and exhausted Europeans coming disconnected the extremity of their nine seasons. "There are 2 things that for maine are precise wide successful the 2 games that we look [against] Brazilian teams. One is the quality, but astatine the aforesaid clip it is precise wide the vigor that they have, for antithetic reasons, and we don't.
"Top prime and besides defensively, they were precise good. So it volition beryllium a pugnacious game."
Information from Reuters was utilized successful this story.
