He flamencoBrazil’s most popular club and one of the favorites for the title, surrendered to a 1-1 draw on Saturday against Cruzeiro in the middle of the Maracana stadium in Rio de Janeiro that kept him in seventh place in the Brazilian Championship, far from the leader and did not convince his demanding fans.
The Rio de Janeiro club, which has won the last five games it faced Cruzeiro, started at a disadvantage and managed to draw but could not come back despite the danger of the attacking pair consisting of Gabriel Barbosa Gabigol and Pedro, who Several chances they missed it. Gabigol even wasted a penalty and smashed two balls into the posts, earning him several boos.
Cruzeiro, the club owned by former soccer player and World Cup player Ronaldo and which returned to the first division this year, opened the scoring after 3 minutes with a powerful shot from Marlon. Ayrton Lucas equalized for Flamengo after 32 minutes and, despite the locals pressing until the end, they had to resign themselves to the tie and loud protests from their fans.
Cruzeiro played better in the second half and did not leave the Maracana with a victory thanks to goalkeeper Matheus Cunha who saved Flamengo on several occasions. The tie temporarily leaves Cruzeiro in fifth place in the standings, with 13 points, the same as Flamengo, which is seventh for its worst goal difference.
The result is bad for both clubs as the leaders have commitments on Sunday and could increase their advantage. Botafogo, leading with 18 points, will visit lowly América, and Palmeiras, who escort them to second place with 15 points, will visit Atlético Mineiro.
Fans took advantage of the match to pay tribute to Vinícius Júnior, who started his career at Flamengo, where they expressed their solidarity for the racist abuse he suffered in Spain.
“Everyone with Vini Jr.” It read a giant mosaic message that fans placed in the stands and on the shirts of Flamengo players. “Thank you for everything. I was born Flamengo and I will always love you,” replied the Real Madrid attacker in a message to his networks.
Guild and Stronghold Victory
In another match this Saturday, Gremio won 1-2 in their visit to Athletico Paranaense and temporarily climbed to third place in the standings, with 14 points. The team led by coach Renato Gaucho opened the scoring in the first half through Cuiabano, but Vitor Roque, the young striker interested in clubs like Barcelona,
Bruno Uvini scored the decisive second-half goal for Gremio and ended Athletico’s 17-game unbeaten run at their stadium, the Arena da Baixada de Cutitiba.
Also this Saturday, Fortaleza defeated Vasco da Gama 2-0, with goals from Thiago Galhardo and Argentine Silvio Romero in the last five minutes of the game, and moved up to eighth place in the standings, with 13 points, same as Cruzeiro. and Flamengo. The defeat, the third in a row, dropped Vasco to the bottom four in the standings, punishable by relegation.
In this Saturday’s matches, as well as the five scheduled for Sunday, players from all clubs campaigned against racism and in solidarity with Vinícius Júnior. In addition to wearing uniforms displaying the sign “with racism there is no game”, all soccer players sat on the field and remained motionless for 30 seconds at the start of the game as a form of protest.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Rose Herman and I work as an author for Today Times Live. My expertise lies in writing about sports, a passion of mine that has been with me since childhood. As part of my job, I provide comprehensive coverage on everything from football to tennis to golf.
