After the 0-0 first leg, Sampaoli’s team beat Flu 2-0 and qualified for the quarterfinals of the Copa do Brasil
Fluminense had 72% possession of the ball but was unable to transform their dominance into clear goal options
Jorge Sampaoli got his first big win managing Flamengo. The rubronegro from Rio de Janeiro prevailed in the classic against Fluminense (2-0, with goals from Arrascaeta and Gabigol) in Maracana and qualified for the quarterfinals of the Copa do Brasil, after the 0-0 of the first leg in the same scenario.
This time, Fernando Diniz’s team gained a monopoly on possession of the ball, with 72%, with more than double the number of passes (599 to 238)… but failed miserably in the final third. Only with two shots between the three pales in the 90 minutes. A very poor baggage for a team that was in tow from minute 33 when Mengao made it 1-0 in a play in which a crossed cross from gerson ended with the assistance of the center-back’s head Fabrizio Bruno and a second consecutive header from arrascaeta.
Sampaoli tried to change his team’s position, but faced with the impossibility of contesting control of the ball, he decided to face a very pragmatic second 45 minutes. Flamengo closed behind and had the best opportunities on the counter, like a ball to the post of Everton Cebolinha. In discount time, gabigol made it 2-0 against the delirium of the ‘crooked’ rubronegra.
With this triumph, Flamengo avenged the loss of the Carioca Championship, in a 4-1 defeat against Flu, which ended up stating the position of the Portuguese coach, Victor Pereira.
The eight teams qualified for the quarterfinals are Cruzeiro, Bahia, América Mineiro, Corinthians, Athlético Paranaense, Palmeiras, Flamengo and Sao Paulo, which this last morning lost 3-1 at home against Sport Recife but later prevailed in the penalty shootout (5-3).
