Flamengo take home bronze at Club World Cup in six-goal Al Ahly thriller
Runners up in this competition back in 2019, Flamengo started well to plunder an early penalty after Guillermo Varela was clumsily brought down inside the area. After a long wait, Gabriel Barbosa stepped up to send Mohamed El Shenawy the wrong way.
Flamengo should then have doubled their lead, but El Shenawy was on hand to thwart Pedro’s far-post header, before Gabigol skied the follow-up.
With the interval approaching, the Egyptian side looked for a response, and their concerted pressure resulted in an equaliser when Ahmed Abdelkader headed in from a corner.
A second penalty was awarded after the break, this time to Al Ahly, with Thiago Maia being the perpetrator having failed to clear his lines. Aderbar Santos guessed the right way to pounce on Ali Maaloul’s tame penalty, but moments later, the Red Devils were in front.
Abdelkader bagged his second of the game thanks to a stunning individual run, which ended with a calm finish into the bottom corner.
The relentless drama continued, with referee Mustapha Ghorbal pointing to the spot once again following an on-field review.
However, the decision was overturned and Khaled Abdelfattah instead received a straight red card for a foul outside the box.
It took just eight minutes for Flamengo to make the most of their numerical advantage, drawing level through Pedro following a rash decision from El Shenawy to come off his line.
With time ticking away, a handball meant yet another penalty was awarded, giving Barbosa the chance to restore his side’s lead. Once again, the Brazilian sent El Shenawy the wrong way, giving Al Ahly a tough task to restore parity.
Pedro netted the game’s third brace in stoppage time, ensuring Flamengo won their first-ever encounter against an Egyptian side, finishing third in the FIFA Club World Cup for the first time in their history.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Gabriel Barbosa (Flamengo)