Clube de Regatas do Flamengo is three times champion of Libertadores. This Saturday (29), Rio de Janeiro’s Rubro-Negro defeated Athletico Paranaense 1-0, to the delight of most fans at the Estadio Monumental de Guayaquil (Ecuador).
WIN WIN WIN#M3NGO pic.twitter.com/dcMeZ0SJ0I
— Flamengo (@Flamengo) October 29, 2022
Champion in 1981, 2019 and (now) 2022, the team from Rio de Janeiro equaled São Paulo (1992, 1993 and 2005), Santos (1962, 1963 and 2005), Grêmio (1983, 1995 and 2017) and Palmeiras (1999, 2020). and 2021) as the biggest Brazilian winner in the most important football tournament on the South American continent. It also became the third club in Brazil with the most relevant international achievements: a total of seven, drawing with Cruzeiro, and behind Peixe (eight) and Tricolor Paulista (12).
Striker Gabriel Barbosa, Gabigol, in turn, reinforced the reputation of “predestined”. Shirt 9 scored in the three Libertadores finals he played for Flamengo. He scored the goals in the 2-1 victory over River Plate (Argentina), in Lima (Peru), four years ago. In 2021, the star tied the game with Palmeiras, who would end up taking the cup in Montevideo (Uruguay), winning 2-1. In Guayaquil, it was Gabigol who scored the title goal for Rubro-Negro Carioca.
The title crowns an almost perfect campaign. Flamengo ended Libertadores with 12 wins and a draw in 13 games, scoring 33 goals and conceding just eight. Since Corinthians, in 2012, a team has not led the Libertadores unbeaten. Striker Pedro, with 12 goals, ended this year’s edition as top scorer in the South American competition.
⚽?⚫ So @gabigol celebrated the first goal of the @Flamengo in the CONMEBOL final #Liberators!#GloriaEterna #Flamengo pic.twitter.com/gd5wRpJ5J5
— CONMEBOL Libertadores (@LibertadoresBR) October 29, 2022
The Carioca Rubro-Negro will represent the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) in the next Club World Cup, which has not yet been scheduled, nor has a defined location. The tournament is expected to take place in February next year. Real Madrid (Spain), Wydad Casablanca (Morocco), Seattle Sounders (United States) and Auckland City (New Zealand), champions of Europe, Africa, Central and North America and Oceania, respectively, are the other clubs with vacancies.
Hurricane, in turn, experienced new frustration in a Libertadores final. In 2005, the team from Paraná arrived there for the first time, but lost to São Paulo. After drawing 1-1 at Beira-Rio, in Porto Alegre (at the time, the Arena da Baixada, in Curitiba, did not have the minimum capacity required for the decision), Athletico was thrashed 4-0 at Morumbi, in the capital paulista. The steering wheel Fernandinho was also part of that cast.
It was the tenth time that Flamengo and Athletico faced each other in a knockout, being the third decision between them. The Cariocas reached their seventh victory in the confrontation and maintained 100% success in the finals. In 2013, Rubro-Negro da Gávea won the Copa do Brasil over Hurricane, repeating the dose in 2020, in the Supercopa do Brasil.
?? Ask for the world again! O @Flamengo will represent South America at the Club World Cup @FIFAcom of 2023.
?⚫️ Good luck to the CONMEBOL champion #Liberators! pic.twitter.com/x0So5r6Jhy
— CONMEBOL Libertadores (@LibertadoresBR) October 29, 2022
Match
In Flamengo, the coach Dorival Júnior sent to the field the formation regularly climbed in knockout games, with Santos; Rodinei, David Luiz, Léo Pereira and Filipe Luís; Thiago Maia, João Gomes, Everton Ribeiro and Giorgian de Arrascaeta; Gabriel Barbosa and Pedro. At Athletico, Luiz Felipe Scolari surprised by starting the match with Vitor Bueno and Vitor Roque, leaving midfielder David Terans and striker Pablo on the bench. Hurricane aligned with Bento; Khellven, Pedro Henrique, Thiago Heleno and Abner; Hugo Moura, Fernandinho, Alex Santana and Vitor Bueno; Vitinho and Vitor Roque.
Despite Flamengo controlling possession of the ball, Athletico managed to neutralize the rival’s first offensive actions and were more dangerous at the beginning of the match. At 11, forward Vitinho disarmed defender David Luiz on the right and hit a cross, inside the area, to defend goalkeeper Santos. Then, after the corner kick, midfielder Alex Santana dominated near the small area and risked a volley, but caught it badly and sent it over the crossbar.
The Carioca Rubro-Negro was forced to change pieces in the 19th minute, due to the injury of Filipe Luís. As fate would have it, the duel, which had few emotions in the first half, changed precisely because of a foul committed by Ayrton Lucas, the veteran’s substitute. At 42′, the winger shot down the left and suffered a hard blow from Pedro Henrique. The defender, who was making a good start, but was already yellowed due to an infraction 14 minutes before, was sent off for the second card.
“Impossible? I’ve learned not to use that word in my work.”
Fulfilling the dream of playing in the team of the heart is not enough. How about being top scorer and lifting the CONMEBOL Libertadores cup with Manto? ?
The crown is his!
PEDRO, CHAMPION AND KING OF AMERICA IN 2022! #M3NGO pic.twitter.com/oDLuyavLBv
— Flamengo (@Flamengo) October 29, 2022
To complicate the mission of Paraná and the strategy set up by Felipão, Flamengo reached the goal. In the 48th minute, midfielder Everton Ribeiro, following a great move and table with side Rodinei, crossed on the right and Gabriel Barbosa completed it for the nets. Coincidentally, it was on him that Pedro Henrique made the foul that earned him the first yellow card in the match.
Athletico returned from the break with defender Matheus Felipe in place of Alex Santana, rebuilding the defensive line with four players. Felipão retreated Vitinho and Vitor Bueno (soon replaced by Rômulo and Agustín Canobbio, respectively) to compose the mark without the ball in the midfield, with Vitor Roque (after Pablo, in the 20th minute) isolated in front.
In Flamengo, Dorival kept the formation of the first half. With more freedom, the Carioca Rubro-Negro commanded the actions, spinning the ball and forcing the Hurricane, with one less, to run. At six minutes, Gabriel Barbosa had the chance to increase the advantage, face to face with Bento, but the goalkeeper blocked the shot. Another good opportunity was at 15, with Pedro. The striker dominated at the entrance of the area, turned and kicked with a deflection, close to the athletican crossbar.
To keep the team more physically intact, Dorival pulled Thiago Maia, Gabriel Barbosa and Arrascaeta for entries by Arturo Vidal (whose entry stirred up the home crowd, which provoked him due to the controversy between Chile and Ecuador for a place in the World Cup), Victor Hugo and Everton Cebolinha. The people of Paraná, despite the adverse conditions, did not give up the tie, betting on the dead ball. In the 39th minute, Pablo headed wide. In the 45th minute, Terans took a dangerous free-kick, close to the entrance of the area, for Santos’ great defense. Cariocas held back the pressure and celebrated the title.
