Rossi hails rivals, slams pitch, eyes semi after Flamengo win | OneFootball

Flamengo is through to the semifinals of the Intercontinental Cup after defeating Cruz Azul 2-1 this Wednesday at the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium in Al-Rayyan, Qatar. The victory, secured with two goals from Arrascaeta, guaranteed the Rubro-Negro a spot to face Pyramids of Egypt next Saturday, and also prompted strong statements from goalkeeper Rossi after the final whistle.

The Argentine made a point of praising the opponent, who started better and dominated the first half. “Cruz Azul is a great team, they had possession in the first half and dominated. But we managed to control the second half and were fortunate to score the second goal,” he said.

Rossi also drew attention to the pitch conditions at Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, describing the field as slippery and difficult to adapt to. “When we’re not used to playing on pitches like this, it takes time, but we got used to the pace of the ball. Very smooth, very fast, and slippery,” he added.

On the field, Flamengo opened the scoring with Arrascaeta at 14 minutes, conceded the equalizer to Jorge Sánchez at the end of the first half, and regained the lead in the second half, once again with the Uruguayan deciding. Filipe Luís’s team managed the result in the final minutes and secured their place in the next round.

Now, the Rubro-Negro returns to Ahmad bin Ali Stadium this Saturday at 2 p.m. (Brasília time) to face Pyramids, who eliminated Al-Ahly 3-1. The winner will face PSG in the grand final of the competition.

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