Without stepping on the accelerator, flamingo beat this Tuesday by 1-0 to Corinthianswhich at no time showed signs of life in the Maracana, and stood in the semi-finals of the Libertadores Cupafter the 0-2 achieved in the first leg.
In the classic between the two great Brazilian soccer teams, the Rio de Janeiro team applied the law of minimum effort and, without looking too hard, took the win thanks to Pedro’s goal at the start of the second half (m. 52).
Flamengo looks more and more like the team that stunned the continent in 2019 under Portuguese coach Jorge Jesus. Now on the bench is a Brazilian coach seasoned in a thousand battles: Dorival Júnior. Since he took office last June, the Rio team has regained lost momentum and continues to dream of repeating the final that it cruelly lost to Palmeiras last year.
Tonight ‘Gabigol’ didn’t score -nearly-, but Pedro did, who has already scored eight goals, today the top scorer in this edition of the Libertadores; and the class of the Uruguayan midfielder Giorgian de Arrascaeta reappeared.
Flamengo, which has now gone nine games without defeat, will fight for a place in the final against an Argentine team. Vélez Sarsfield and Talleres, the candidates.
Corinthians, indolent at the Maracana, finished with a man down after the expulsion of Uruguayan Bruno Méndez in the 68th minute and could have left thrashed if it weren’t for Cássio’s saves. Those of the Portuguese Vitor Pereira go home with a worrying statistic. They haven’t won a Libertadores game as a visitor for four years.
Flamengo economized their efforts very well. The 0-2 of the first leg gave him a comfortable cushion to face the clash without stress. Although almost by inertia, he became the owner of the ball.
With De Arrascaeta strongly marked, Everton Ribeiro took the reins of the red and black team at the start along with an unexpected ally, Rodinei, who moved unopposed down the right side. Corinthians soon faded, after some good first minutes from attacker Adson.
On the day he turned 34, Willian showed very little in the Rio de Janeiro temple. Perhaps because he was limping from his discomfort; perhaps because of the rumors that put him back in English football.
Pedro was the author of the only goal of the match
The Pereira team did not take advantage of the excessive relaxation of the locals and, in addition, they ran into an exceptional David Luiz, who cut high and low all the enemy attacks.
He needed to risk the Sao Paulo team in the second half and he did. But when he began to harass Santos’ area, De Arrascaeta started from the left, raised his head and put in a luxurious pass with the outside of his boot to Pedro, who stretched as much as he could to open the scoring.
With Corinthians groggy, Cássio avoided the 2-0 with a good save from a shot by ‘Gabigol’, who had received another brilliant service from De Arrascaeta.
To further complicate matters, the Sao Paulo team was in inferiority from the 68th minute after the expulsion, decreed by the VAR, of Méndez, who intercepted the ball with his hand when Pedro headed the area alone.
From then on, Flamengo, pushed by the fans, sailed with the wind in their favor and Dorival Júnior gave minutes to the less usual, among them the Chilean midfielder Arturo Vidal, luxury reinforcement for this final stretch of the season. The Rio team did not end up scoring only because of Cássio, who held on as best he could to a Corinthians that left the Libertadores through the back door.
DATA SHEET
1 – Flamingo: Saints; Rodinei (m.83, Matheuzinho), David Luiz, Léo Pereira, Filipe Luís; Thiago Maia (m.75, Arturo Vidal), João Gomes (m.83, Diego), Giorgian De Arrascaeta; Everton Ribeiro (m.83, Victor Hugo), Gabriel Barbosa and Pedro (m.86, Éverton Cebolinha)
Coach: Dorival Junior
0 – Corinthians: Cassio; Fagner, Bruno Mendez, Raul Gustavo, Fabio Santos; Du Queiroz, Fausto Vera (m.45, Renato Augusto), Roni (m.60, Giuliano); Adson (m.71, Fabián Balbuena), Yuri Alberto (m.59, Róger Guedes) and Willian (m.84, Gustavo Mosquito)
Coach: Vitor Pereira
Goal: 1-0, Pedro (d. 52)
Referee: the Uruguayan Esteban Ostojich admonished Léo Pereira, Raul Gustavo and expelled Bruno Méndez (m.68)
Incidents: second leg of the quarterfinals of the Copa Libertadores, played at the Maracaná stadium, in Rio de Janeiro
