Old magic: what to expect from the semi-finals of the Club World Cup

The World Club Championship has entered its final phase. There are only three matches left before the end of the tournament with the participation of the top four teams — two semi-finals and the final. On July 8, Fluminense and Chelsea will play each other, and the next day, the football summer will be decorated with a crazy confrontation between PSG and Real Madrid. Both meetings will take place at Metlife Stadium in New Jersey, and the battle for the trophy will take place there later. For more information about the semifinal stage of the tournament, see the Izvestia article.

A lot of meanings

Each of the signs of the 1/2 final is intriguing in its own way, but even without the details it is clear that the denouement of such a major event will necessarily turn out to be intense, emotional and high-class. The clubs have already overcome many obstacles and are within two wins of gold. It would be a shame for anyone to fly out here.

But still, let's go a little deeper. Fluminense came to the USA as the winner of the Copa Libertadores 2023 and has never lost at the World Cup so far. Their opponent, for example, cannot boast of this. The Brazilian teams as a whole showed an extremely decent level in the States — all four representatives of the country made it to the playoffs, and two completely left behind their European opponents in the group stage.

But only the red and green club from Rio reached the decisive stages from outside UEFA. Fluminense did not allow Borussia to score in the group, confidently knocked out the finalist of the last Champions League, Inter, in the 1/8 finals and then dealt with the formidable Al-Hilal, who actually sentenced Man City a little earlier.

The undisputed leader of Fluminense was the titular Thiago Silva. The 40-year-old defender delivers speeches that even Al Pacino would envy, and literally directs the partners' game. However, right in the middle of the watering hole, he can make several tactical changes, and coach Renato Gaucho will only nod his head, agreeing with the captain. Silva also performs direct duties successfully — in three of the five matches, Fluminense left the gate dry and conceded three goals during the entire tournament, only PSG has fewer among the semifinalists.

Thiago also spent an important part of his career at Chelsea, with whom he won the only Champions League in his life, so the meeting takes on even more meaning than it seems at first glance. Of course, the Londoners are considered favorites — any strong club from Europe is on average stronger than any strong one from South America. But Maresca has already suffered twice with the Brazilians in the current World Cup — he lost to Flamengo in the second round without a chance and only thanks to an own goal in the 83rd minute he coped with Palmeiras in the quarterfinals. It's hardly worth waiting for a beating here, the chances are really almost equal.

The confrontation of the grandees

To understand what is interesting about the other semi-final, you don't need to delve into the situation, keep up to date with recent events or, in principle, constantly watch football. You just see the names of the rivals and you understand everything. Two supergrands, two recent Champions League winners, two intergalactic—level clubs, two teams with more than a billion lineups - PSG and Real Madrid.

Probably the most attractive and commercially promising poster of the tournament possible. After all, the best players on the planet will take the field, and there are plenty of local plots. Mbappe will play PSG for the first time since joining Madrid, and that's enough to fill the stands in an instant, whether in America, Ethiopia, or anywhere else in the world.

From the point of view of expectations from football, everything is quite simple: Real Madrid is currently undergoing a complex process of comprehensive restructuring, while Paris continues to follow the tracks of last season, which led Luis Enrique's team to treble and become the best in the world. The French are flexible, incredibly dangerous and well-coordinated, and Xabi Alonso is only pouring the foundation. They exist at different stages of development, too far from each other.

And it is important to understand that such a complimentary description of PSG was not born out of inertia because of the spring impressions. The Parisians showed at the World Club Championship that they hadn't lost anything at all. The quarterfinal match with Bayern Munich is most indicative here — Munich tried and looked good, but still got under an elegant skating rink.

Nevertheless, Real Madrid is Real Madrid. Yes, it has lost its magic and quality lately, but it still remains a treacherous competitor for anyone in 100% of cases. KCHM, despite the public negativity around, will give us the main match of the whole summer. And hardly any of its participants plan to take what is happening seriously enough.