They cheered Bruno Henrique’s equaliser. And the noise only got louder when they found the net again. Between CR Flamengo’s first two goals, it felt like the Lincoln Financial Field had turned into the Maracana for three magical minutes.
The famous Nação Rubro-Negra erupted in the stands of the Philadelphia Eagles’ stadium, roaring their team on. Their support helped inspire Flamengo to a thrilling 3-1 comeback victory against Chelsea FC in their second match of the FIFA Club World Cup 2025™. The result, coupled with Espérance’s victory over Los Angeles Football Club later in the day, means that Flamengo are through to the next round.
“That was classic Flamengo”, said Bruno Henrique to FIFA. “The fans pushed us on, and we went after the equaliser and the win. Everyone deserves credit for what we did here. I’m a big fan of Chelsea – they’re a great team.”
The most decorated player in the club’s history, with 14 trophies to his name, Bruno Henrique knows better than anyone what makes the Flamengo faithful tick. The Brazilian side’s finest moments have always been driven by the passion of their players and the team’s signature style.
In a hard-fought encounter, Flamengo controlled possession and took the game to a youthful Chelsea side, remaining unfazed by the aggressive physical approach employed by the Londoners.
Chelsea’s relentless pressing looked to be giving them the upper hand. They opened the scoring when Flamengo right-back Wesley failed to deal with a long ball on the halfway line, which the in-form Pedro Neto immediately pounced on.
“Playing against English sides always demands a really high level of intensity,” added Bruno Henrique. “The coach made it clear from day one. To win, we’d have to match their energy and keep it up for the whole 90 minutes. And we did just that.”
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The early setback didn’t shake Flamengo. They kept their heads up and delivered a dominant second-half display to extend the unbeaten run of the four Brazilian teams in the tournament to six matches, with four wins and two draws so far.
“We knew we had to stay true to our game if we wanted to get a result. It’s something that’s drilled into us,” said centre-back Danilo, one of three changes made by Filipe Luis to the starting XI that beat Espérance in Flamengo’s opener.
For Danilo, the game wasn’t just emotional, it was something close to spiritual. At 33, it was one of the most memorable moments in a career that has seen him turn out for Santos, FC Porto, Real Madrid C.F., Manchester City and Juventus FC.
“To be part of a match of this calibre was incredibly emotional, no doubt about it”, he told FIFA. “I’ve done a lot in my career, but to play here, wearing the Flamengo shirt, really was something special. Getting a goal was the icing on the cake.
“Turning the game around out there was the result of everything we’ve been working on as a team. It was a battle between two great sides, and I think we deserved the win.”
