Marquinhos hails Flamengo’s strength, cites Botafogo as benchmark | OneFootball

Flamengo Created Difficulties for PSG (FRA) in the Club World Cup Final

Flamengo drew 1-1 with PSG (FRA) on Wednesday (17), but lost in the penalty shootout, missing out on the Club World Cup title. The captain of the French team, Marquinhos, highlighted the quality of Mengão and emphasized the difficulty of the final.

— We knew it would be a completely different game than it was against Botafogo. This was a final, a final decided in the details. We even wanted it to be easier, but it wasn't. We even said, in our turn, we will certainly face a team of great quality, which is Flamengo, started Marquinhos.

— So I think we respected each other a lot. Our coach is very experienced, he watched the World Cup in the middle of the year, he helped us respect these Brazilian teams even more. We have many Brazilians and Portuguese who closely follow Brazilian football, he added.

— Everyone knows how qualified this Flamengo team is. They have experienced players who returned from Europe and are used to playing against European teams, against PSG, against other teams. So, for sure, it was a difficult game, and we respected them in the best way, concluded the PSG captain.

Was Marquinhos Almost the Villain for PSG?

Despite lifting the trophy after the match, Marquinhos was almost the villain for PSG. After all, the defender committed a penalty on Arrascaeta, which resulted in a goal by Jorginho. Additionally, in the added time of the second half, the Brazilian missed a clear chance, practically on the line, without a goalkeeper.

Thus, with the draw, the Club World Cup final was decided on penalties, with PSG winning 2-1. Dembélé and Barcola missed for the French team, while Saúl, Pedro, Léo Pereira, and Luiz Araújo missed for Mengão.

When Does Flamengo Return to Rio de Janeiro?

After the World Cup, the Flamengo squad departed back to Rio de Janeiro this Thursday (18), at 10 a.m. (local time) and 4 a.m. (Brasília time). Thus, the expectation is that the red-black delegation will arrive in the 'Marvelous City' in the evening and then start their vacation.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.