South American clubs show promise but European dominance continues

PHILADELPHIA :Fluminense, Palmeiras, and Boca Juniors gave spirited performances in the opening days of the new-look Club World Cup in the United States, but Europe's 13-year dominance over South American clubs remains intact after a series of draws.

Fluminense controlled proceedings against Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday but were held to a goalless stalemate by the German side, thanks to a stellar display by Swiss goalkeeper Gregor Kobel.

Similarly, Palmeiras dominated Porto but were also forced to settle for a 0-0 draw.

Argentinian giants Boca Juniors came closest to breaking the European run, racing into a two-goal lead against Benfica before the Portuguese club rallied to secure a 2-2 draw.

The results underscore the challenge South American teams face in ending Europe’s unbeaten streak, which stretches back to Corinthians' victory over Chelsea in the 2012 Club World Cup final. Since then, European clubs have gone 33 matches without defeat against teams from other continents.

Historically, South American sides enjoyed success in the Intercontinental Cup, a competition that pitted the winners of the Copa Libertadores against the European Cup champions and was the precursor to the Club World Cup.

Memorable triumphs include Penarol's 4-0 aggregate two-leg victory over Real Madrid in 1966, Pele's Santos defeating AC Milan in 1963, Zico’s Flamengo beating Liverpool 3-0 in 1981 and Sao Paulo's victories over stellar Barcelona and Milan sides in the early 1990s.

HOSTILE ENVIRONMENT

The rivalry sometimes led to ill-tempered clashes, such as Racing Club's games against Celtic in 1967 and both legs of Argentina's Estudiantes against Manchester United the following year.

Estudiantes' second leg against Milan in 1969 ended with three of