The Fluminensewith a goal from a Chilean half by Ganso and another by Luiz Henrique, defeated this Wednesday 2-1 Junior of Barranquilla at the Maracaná stadium and reached the Colombian team at the top of Group H of the South American Cup.
The team from Rio de Janeiro, in which Fernando Diniz made his debut as the new coach, after the surprising resignation of Abel Braga, cemented their victory in minute 4 with Ganso’s beautiful goal coming off a corner kick.
Junior equalized in the 55th minute thanks to Miguel Borja’s skill after fending off a rebound from goalkeeper Fábio, but Luiz Henrique, who will head to Real Betis this coming summer, put the locals ahead again in the 73rd minute.
More compact and with a more associative game, the Flu took revenge for the 3-0 they conceded on April 13 at the Metropolitano de Barranquilla.
Fernando Diniz made his debut on the Fluminense bench
With this victory, the Tricolor Carioca adds seven points, the same as Junior, who remains the provisional leader of Group H in the absence of this Thursday’s game between the Argentine Union Santa Fe, third with five points, and the Bolivian Oriente Petrolero, bottom and in white. After that meeting, there will be only two days left. Only the first goes to the round of 16.
Fluminense, who faced the duel with Junior as a life or death final, broke the equality shortly after the initial whistle, after a corner that Ganso sent to the back of the net with a Chilean average. The ’10’ invented that fantastic shot, while he was almost embraced by a rival. Great goal for the former promise of Brazilian football, now 32 years old.
The local domain continued. Luiz Henrique, an indecipherable hell for Junior’s defense, joined the party. The ‘Flu’ was only penalized for some bad ball output.
Junior, who was coming off a sequence of six consecutive victories, was biting, with high pressure. Borja, an old acquaintance of Brazilian football after passing through Palmeiras and Gremio, was one of the most active, as was Albornoz on the right wing.
There came a time when Diniz’s team could not breathe in their own field. Meanwhile, the tension was palpable in every corner of the Maracana. Borja and Yago Felipe had a scuffle with the threat of spreading to the rest of their teammates. This time, the blood did not reach the river.
In the second half, the winds changed in favor of Junior, who warned with a poisoned cross from Gabriel Fuentes that neither Borja nor Albornoz reached by millimeters.
The ‘Flu’ seemed to have stayed in the locker room and the Argentinian Juan Cruz Leal’s team made them pay dearly with Borja’s equalizer, who caught a rebound from Fábio caused by a shot by Giraldo inside the area. Fredy Hinestroza was able to certify the comeback with an Olympic goal. Fábio avoided that humiliation in Maracana.
And when the rojiblancos were at their best, Luiz Henrique appeared to make the final 2-1. The 21-year-old attacker finished a team play involving Ganso and Fred, who had come on from the bench. A goal that puts Fluminense squarely in the fight for the round of 16.
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