Flamengo kicked off their FIFA Club World Cup 2025 campaign with a dominant 2-0 win over Esperance de Tunis in their Group D opener at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia on Monday. Goals from Giorgian de Arrascaeta and Luiz Araujo sealed a convincing victory for the Brazilian side, who controlled the match from the outset.
On a chilly evening in front of a sparsely filled stadium, Flamengo asserted their authority early, enjoying 80% possession and barely allowing Esperance a sniff of goal. The breakthrough came in the 17th minute when Guillermo Varela charged down the right flank and delivered a pinpoint cross. Luiz Araujo expertly cushioned it into the path of de Arrascaeta, who fired the ball past the goalkeeper to open the scoring.
Esperance struggled to cope with Flamengo’s pace and fluidity but managed to create a few half-chances in the second half, largely thanks to the creativity of Youcef Belaili. The Tunisian winger came close to equalizing in the 63rd minute with a curling shot that drifted just wide. Moments later, he forced a sharp save from Flamengo goalkeeper Augustin Rossi with a low effort from close range.
However, Flamengo quickly regained control. In the 70th minute, former Chelsea and Arsenal midfielder Jorginho played a brilliant through ball that sliced through the Esperance defense. Araujo timed his run perfectly to stay onside, cut inside his marker, and curled a superb left-footed finish into the bottom corner to double Flamengo’s lead.
The win puts Flamengo level on points with Chelsea, who defeated LAFC 2-0 earlier in the day. With both teams tied at the top of Group D, their upcoming clash on Friday is set to be a decisive fixture in determining who advances as group winners.