December 12 – Following the highs of a league and Libertadores double, Botafogo were stunned by Concacaf champions Pachuca 3-0 to exit the FIFA Continental Cup at the first hurdle.
Oussama Idrissi, Nelson Deossa and Salomon Rondon were all on target in the second half for the Mexicans, who will play Al Ahly of Egypt in the semi-finals with the winner taking on European champions Real Madrid in the final on December 18 at Lusail Stadium in Doha.
Playing in their 75th match in all competitions this year, Botafogo were exhausted even if manager Arthur Jorge rested several players. The team had travelled 20 hours to the Qatari capital and dominated the first half but failed to capitalise on their opportunities. In the second half, the Brazilians unravelled and three substitutions from Jorge could not prevent an early exit.
“To step on the pitch a little over 24 hours after arriving in a new country following a long trip, the jet-lag, in addition to the relentless calendar is frustrating but it’s something we can’t control as a team. We didn’t play well and that’s a hard pill to swallow,” said Jorge at a news conference.
“I’m not going to try to make excuses for what we didn’t manage to do. Pachuca were better than us, they were more effective, they took advantage of the chances they had in the second half. But the facts are that because of the situation we were facing, we couldn’t field the team we would like to today.
“There’s nothing else to say about the context because we have to hold on to the result. The result wasn’t what we wanted, but nothing erases what we’ve done so well this season.”
The defeat was a comedown for the club from Rio de Janeiro, who last weekend celebrated their first national crown since 1995. The title completed a remarkable double in the space of week after Botafogo had clinched their maiden Copa Libertadores with a 3-1 win against Atletico Mineiro.
The result also raises questions about Brazilian clubs’ competitiveness on the international stage.
Last December, then South American champions Fluminense were swept aside by Manchester City in the final of the Club World Cup. Earlier in 2023, Flamengo crashed out in the semi-finals of the same competition. Brazil will have four representatives at next year’s 32-team Club World Cup.
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