The FIFAe Nations Cup 2022 has finally come to an end. As part of the championship tournament, held from July 27 to July 30 in Copenhagen at the Bella Arena, 24 teams from Europe, Asia, North America, South America, and the Middle East fought for a prize pool of $400,000. The winner of the tournament was the team from Brazil, which in the grand final was stronger than the representatives of Poland with a score of 2:1 reflecting the same.
Semi-Finals
Italy 4:5 Brazil
Brazil was resilient and calm during the first semi-final of the day. Italy had taken the lead early on, but “eSelecao” came back in the 50th minute after scoring the equalizer from a nice combination of passes. They took the lead after scoring one in quick succession, but Italy equalized shortly before the end.
During the second leg, Italy took the lead yet again after scoring a header in the 34th minute. However, Brazil stayed calm and equalized before the end of the game, thus, saving themselves in extra time.
Brazil dominated during extra time and surprised Italy with two goals. In the 117th minute, Italy managed to reduce the deficit and trailed by a goal. However, Brazil held their ground and went on to win with a final score of 5:4. The tournament ended for the “Squadra Azzurra”, who defeated Germany in the round of 16, thus in the semi-finals.
Poland 6-1 Sweden
Newcomers – Poland, surprised everyone by qualifying for the final of the FIFAe Nations Cup
The Polish squad was the surprise of the tournament after advancing to the semis in their first year at the FIFAe Nations Cup. The Scandinavians expected to have Portugal as their opponents, but the latter lost to the newcomers, Poland, during the quarter-finals.
Poland turned up the heat during the semi-final. They created several chances and hit the mark with almost every shot they took. The Swedish team was visibly impressed by the performance of the Eastern Europeans.
Poland took the lead within 20 minutes and, from there on, did not stop scoring goals. The Polish side defeated Sweden by 3-0 in the first leg and thumped them again by 3-1 in the second leg. Substitute ‘Olelito’ from the Swedish side summarized,
“Actually, we played well and had chances. The result doesn’t reflect our performance, but in the end, Poland was much stronger.”
The Grand Finale: Brazil 2-1 Poland
It all came down to the final fixture of the FIFAe Nations Cup 2022. Brazil versus Poland. During the first leg of the final, Poland and Brazil didn’t give each other a meter. The Europeans were a bit more creative with their gameplay but the first game remained goalless.
During the second leg, Poland took the lead just before the end of the first half courtesy of a volley hit from right outside the penalty area. They created several chances but could not extend their lead and Brazil eventually managed to equalise in the 64th minute.
In added time, however, the “eSelecao” had another chance with the last attack on the wing and as the ball went in the middle, a powerful volley scrambled into the net with Brazil winning the game by 2:1.
Following France’s World Cup victory in 2019, Team Brazil won the FIFA Nations Cup 2022.
“I’m proud to be able to represent Brazil. I don’t even know how I should feel, my pulse is so high,”
said Crepaldi during the winner’s interview after the match.
“This is the biggest success of my career. I thank the spectators and the Brazilian fans in the audience,”
said Brazil’s Phzin. It was the final tournament of FIFA 22’s competitive season.