Corinthians and Flamengo decide to leave everything open after drawing goalless (0-0) in the first leg of the final of the KO tournament
David Luiz sent a ball to the post in the clearest chance for the Cariocas and Timao claimed a penalty by Leo Pereira’s hand
The final of the Copa do Brasil will be decided next Wednesday in the Maracana at 90 minutes between Flamengo, who will have the advantage of playing at home, and Corinthians. The first duel of the final, played at the Neo Química Arena in Sao Paulo, ended in false. The 0-0 that perfectly reflected a clash with a lot of grit and little success, which could have opted for the side of either of the two contenders in two key actions: a ball to the crossbar of David Luiz (min. 65) and very clear hands from the rubronegro central defender Leo Pereira (min. 82), much protested by Timao, that the VAR did not want to point out.
Aware of their inferiority, the paulistas put on overalls and knew how to neutralize the creative and offensive power of the rubronegros with an efficient defensive system that required a lot of wear and tear.
It was, through an enormous amount of work, that those of Vitor Pereira they stayed afloat against Flamengo, who had more possession, and who dominated midfield because they repeatedly knew how to create numerical superiorities.
The best option in a first half of more tension than football was for Corinthians with their ‘9’, Yuri Alberto (min. 40): in a counterattack action, the forward cut David Luiz very well but his shot ended up being pressed by Thiago Maia.
The Rio de Janeiro domain was much more expressive as the meeting progressed. And the proposal for the second half was a reactive Timao trying to save the furniture and a Flamengo that went for a victory that would definitely get closer to the title.
Those of Dorival Junior had three golden occasions. Cassio, who thrives on big events, had a decisive performance and knew how to stop a point-blank shot from Gabigol. And, immediately afterwards, David Luiz, in a tremendous left-footed shot from outside the area, stamped the ball on the crossbar, very close to the crossbar (min 65).
Corinthians, who introduced much more physical players to continue fighting, ended up giving a good draw in a convincing collective performance, while Flamengo lacked a little more conviction and brilliance in the final third, where Pedro, who will be in the World Cup in Qatar with Brazil, was very well marked and created almost no danger.
