Flamengo head coach Filipe Luís admitted that the “football elite” remains in Europe after his Brazilian side were defeated 4-2 by Bayern Munich in a gripping FIFA Club World Cup round-of-16 clash on Sunday.
The German champions established an early 2-0 lead within the first ten minutes and, despite Flamengo twice reducing the deficit, Bayern held on to set up a quarter-final tie against European champions Paris St-Germain.
The result restored a measure of European dominance in the tournament after all four Brazilian clubs had successfully advanced from the group stage. Speaking after the match, former Chelsea and Atletico Madrid defender Filipe Luís acknowledged the quality gap.
“The pressure they put on you is immense. They come at you with eight, 10 players. They deserved to win,” Flamengo Coach said. “Our plan did work and we were able to apply pressure and create goal scoring opportunities but they were better than us, we’re playing against the football elite.”
He added that the departure of top South American talent to Europe remains a key factor. “They (South American players) want to be in the elite and that’s what they are… We have many Brazilian players in our teams but they (the European teams) have the best ones. They have better players, that’s a fact.”
Bayern Munich coach Vincent Kompany, however, pushed back against the idea of inherent European superiority, highlighting the global nature of talent.
“In any competition it’s the quality of the players, but also the belief. I’m not sure if that’s so black or white, and some of the best finishers in the world are from South America,” Kompany stated. When asked about tactical superiority, he added, “Do you know how may great tacticians have come out of South America? Bielsa, Filipe Luís, notably.”
The loss ends Flamengo’s campaign, while fellow Brazilian side Palmeiras advanced on Saturday after defeating Botafogo. Inter Milan are set to face another Brazilian club, Fluminense, in their last-16 tie.
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