Fluminense’s skipper, Thiago Silva, had additional reasons to celebrate following Monday’s 2-0 triumph over Inter Milan in the round of 16 of the Club World Cup. Not only did he revel in his team’s remarkable achievement, but he also enjoyed the satisfaction of overcoming the fierce city rivals of his former club.
At 40 years old, the defender returned to his childhood club, Fluminense, last year after spending three seasons with Milan from 2009 to 2012, during which he secured a Serie A title and an Italian Super Cup.
As Fluminense eliminated their Italian foes from the restructured FIFA tournament, Silva reflected on the delight that Milan supporters would feel at witnessing their rivals’ elimination.
“I was thinking about Milan,” he told DAZN after the match held in Charlotte. “I’m certain the Milan supporters will be pleased with Inter’s loss and our success.”
The centre-back, who has also had successful stints with Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea, commended his team’s exceptional performance in overcoming the Champions League runners-up.
“This is an extremely significant result for us. We were aware it would be a challenging match. Just a month ago, they featured in the Champions League final,” Silva added.
“We played an incredible game today. It had to unfold this way; there was no other way to achieve it.
“We maintained superb cohesion as a team, and defensively we executed excellently. They certainly challenged us; we might have had a few lapses defensively, but that is to be expected against such an opponent.”
The Brazilians are set to face Al Hilal in the quarter-finals on Friday.
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Compiled by SportArena.com.au.
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