South American teams struggle to put the ball in the net during decisions and have also shown difficulties against European teams.
Last Friday, Fluminense was beaten 4-0 by Manchester City in Saudi Arabia and entered the black list of South American clubs participating in the FIFA Club World Cup. Over the last 10 years, clubs from the continent have scored just 1 goal in the final stages of the competition.
The only goal scored was by Palmeiras, on a penalty scored by Raphael Veiga in the second half. The rest are San Lorenzo (ARG), River Plate (ARG), Grêmio, Flamengo and now Fluminense.
The ten-yearly finals of the Club World Cup
- 2013 – Bayern Munich (ALE) 2 x 0 Raja Casablanca (MAR)
- 2014 – Real Madrid (ESP) 2 x 0 San Lorenzo (ARG)
- 2015 – Barcelona (ESP) 3 x 0 River Plate (ARG)
- 2016 – Real Madrid (ESP) 4 x 2 Kashima Antlers (JAP)
- 2017 – Real Madrid (ESP) 1 x 0 Grêmio
- 2018 – Real Madrid (ESP) 4 x 1 Al-Ain (United Arab Emirates)
- 2019 – Liverpool (ING) 1 x 0 Flamengo
- 2020 – Bayern Munich (ALE) 1 x 0 Tigres (MEX)
- 2021 – Chelsea (ITA) 2 x 1 Palmeiras
- 2022 – Real Madrid (ESP) 5 x 3 Al Hilal (ARA)
- 2023 – Manchester City (ING) 4 x 0 Fluminense
This was the 13th final between South Americans and Europeans since the tournament was organized by FIFA in 2000. The number of goals is also well below: only seven were scored in 13 matches played. The club that scored the most goals was Boca Juniors, two goals in a 4-2 defeat against Milan (Italy) in 2007.
The FIFA World Cup finals between Europeans and South Americans:
- 2005 – Sao Paulo 1 x 0 Liverpool (ING)
- 2006 – Internacional 1 x 0 Barcelona (ESP)
- 2007 – Milan (ITA) 4×2 Boca Juniors (ARG)
- 2008 – Manchester United (ENG) 1 x 0 LDU (EQU)
- 2009 – Barcelona (ESP) 2 x 1 Estudiantes (ARG)
- 2011 – Barcelona (ESP) 4 x 0 Santos
- 2012 – Corinthians 1 x 0 Chelsea (ING)
- 2014 – Real Madrid (ESP) 2 x 0 San Lorenzo (ARG)
- 2015 – Barcelona (ESP) 3 x 0 River Plate (ARG)
- 2017 – Real Madrid (ESP) 1 x 0 Grêmio
- 2019 – Liverpool (ING) 1 x 0 Flamengo
- 2021 – Chelsea (ITA) 2 x 1 Palmeiras
- 2023 – Manchester City (ING) – Fluminense 4-0
Furthermore, in the current Club World Cup format, the difference in results is stark: there have been only three victories for South America (São Paulo in 2005, Internacional in 2006 and Corinthians 2012) versus 11 for Europe, including Manchester City’s victory.
Source: Terra
Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.
