The Intercontinental Cup of FIFA is already underway and Paris Saint-Germain awaits in the final due to its status as the most recent UEFA Champions League champion. In one of the quarterfinal matchups, Flamengo won the "Derbi de las Américas" against Cruz Azul, the 2025 Concachampions champion, who suffered an unexpected decisive error and ended up losing 2-1 at the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium in Rayán, Qatar.
The match began with an early advantage for the Brazilian team. In the 14th minute, Giorgian De Arrascaeta capitalized on a glaring mistake by Gonzalo Piovi: the Argentine defender tried to play out from the back after a pass from goalkeeper Andrés Gudiño, but his touch was short and right at the penalty spot. The Uruguayan took the ball, dribbled past the goalkeeper, and finished with the goal at his mercy to put the Copa Libertadores champion ahead.
Cruz Azul managed to recover near the end of the first half with a true stunner from Jorge Sánchez, who in the 44th minute struck a powerful volley from outside the box that found the top right corner of Agustín Rossi's goal. The Argentine goalkeeper, despite being unable to prevent the equalizer, would be crucial at the start of the second half to maintain the result and prevent a second goal from the Mexican side.
