(MENAFN- Gulf Times) When the moment needed him it was, as it often is, Flamengo's Uruguayan star Giorgian De Arrascaeta delivered. The mercurial midfielder struck either side of a fine Jorge Sanchez equaliser to seal a 2-1 victory for the Rio de Janeiro giants in the FIFA Derby of the Americas at the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium in Al Rayyan Wednesday.
That also secured Filipe Luis's side a date with Egypt's Pyramids in the FIFA Challenger Cup to be played on December 13, which will also be played at the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium. The winner of that tie will face European champions Paris Saint Germain in the FIFA Intercontinental Cup final at the same venue on December 17.
The match opened at a frantic pace, with Cruz Azul looking to impose themselves early. Flamengo, however, struck first. An under-hit pass from defender Gonzalo Piovi went straight to De Arrascaeta who dutifully slotted it past Andres Gudino with a quarter of an hour blade-->
Flamengo's Giorgian de Arrascaeta #10 (C) is challenged by Cruz Azul's Gonzalo Piovi #33 (L) and Carlos Rodriguez #19 (R) during the 2025 FIFA Intercontinental Cup match between Cruz Azul and Flamengo at Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium in Doha on December 10, 2025. (AFP)
Cruz Azul steadied after that early setback with Carlos Rotondi fizzing an effort just wide before Jorge Sanchez produced a strike of the highest order to restore parity. The right-back collected the ball at the top of the box and lashed a volley past Agustin Rossi to send the teams to the break locked at 1-1.
A tight half saw Flamengo eventually start to get on top and after a testing effort from substitute Gonzalo Plata flew narrowly wide, it was the playmaking prince De Arrascaeta who won things for the Brazilian side.
The Uruguayan brushing aside the challenge of Willer Ditta, collecting a ricochetted effort off Piovi and slotting past Gudino from a tight angle in the 71st blade-->
Soccer Football - FIFA Intercontinental Cup - Derby of the Americas - Cruz Azul v Flamengo - Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium, Al-Rayyan, Qatar - December 10, 2025
Cruz Azul's Luka Romero clashes with Flamengo's Nicolas de la Cruz. REUTERS
Cruz Azul pushed desperately for an equaliser, generating a series of late corners and half-chances. Angel Sepulveda and Gabriel Fernandez both came close in stoppage time. Fernandez headed just wide in the stoppage time but the finishing touch eluded them.
The match grew increasingly heated in the final minutes. Flamengo collected several yellow cards with Everton, de la Cruz and Alex Sandro going into the referee book. Cruz Azul also saw bookings, notably for Piovi and Ditta.
After the match, Flamengo forward Bruno Henrique praised his team's resilience. "The difficulties imposed by Cruz Azul were clear - they're a strong, organised side. But in the second half, we managed to work our quality and impose our game, which made the difference," he said.
Giorgian De Arrascaeta mercurial midfielder Jorge Sanchez
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