Palmeiras, champion of the Copa Libertadores, already dreams of, if the predictions are met and both reach the final on February 11, surprise Bayern, European champions, and win their first Club World Cup, taking over from Liverpool , winner of the last edition. The Portuguese coach Abel Ferreira's team took a mass bath upon arriving in Sao Paulo yesterday: his fans broke the coronavirus prevention rules.
After the final won against Santos on Saturday with a goal from Breno Lopes in the 99th minute (1-0), Palmeiras flew home shortly after. His supporters breached the restrictions imposed by the pandemic and hundreds of them, most without a mask, gathered next to the Palmeiras stadium, the Allianz Parque.
La Mancha Verde, its main brave bar, even asked the players to celebrate it with a concert on a sound truck, as during Carnival, but the health situation prevented it. Brazil is close to 224,000 deaths from Covid-19.
It is the second Liberators that Palmeiras wins (after 1999). At the Club World Cup, to be held in Qatar (venue of the 2022 World Cup), the São Paulo team will debut in the semifinals on February 7 and their rival will be the winner of the tie between Tigres de México and Ulsan de South Korea. Bayern, for their part, will play on the 8th against Qatari Al Duhail or Egyptian Al Ahly.
The Club World Cup was scheduled to start this Monday, but New Zealand's Auckland City FC, champion of Oceania, resigned to participate because, due to Covid-19, it is in quarantine. Thus, Al Duhail, host of the tournament, was declared the winner 3-0.