Alex Sandro appears at Bid and could debut for Flamengo

Brazil ended its participation in the Paris Paralympics this Sunday (8) with its best campaign in the history of the competition. According to the objective established by the Brazilian Paralympic Committee, the Brazilian delegation in Paris broke the record for medals in a single edition of the Games, with 89, achieved the highest number of golds, 25, and secured the unprecedented top 5 in the medals table.

It was not easy to secure fifth place. After spending the first few days among the five best countries at the Paralympics, Brazil came to occupy eighth place in the medals quarter at the end of Thursday (5), four days before the end of the Games. But from Friday (6) recovery came. With four gold medals won, Brazil reached seventh place and came up against France and Italy, which would become the great opponent for fifth place.

Medal after medal, Brazil and Italy fought for the top 5 in the table of medals. On Saturday (7), Brazilian athletes secured the country's best day in the history of the Paralympics with six golds, three silvers and seven bronzes, and sixth place in the classification. With such a performance, Brazil surpassed the 72 podiums and 22 gold medals from Tokyo 2022, achieving its best campaign in both categories.

However, it still lacked a position in the top five. The Italians had 24 gold medals, one more gold medal than Brazil, and slept in fifth place. That would change this Sunday morning (8).

In the first events of the last day of the race, Brazil won two more gold medals and overtook Italy. First, Fernando Rufino was champion in canoeing, winning gold in the 200m VL2 and leaving the countries tied. The race also had another Brazilian on the podium. Igor Tofalini finished in second place and took silver. Then, in the event that would bring the top 5 to Brazil, Tayana Medeiros broke the Paralympic record by lifting 156kg in the 86kg category and took gold.

Italy did not win any competition and no longer competes in competitions. Thus, Brazil guaranteed its best campaign in the history of the Paralympics. The great Brazilian highlights, as usual, were athletics, which reached its 200th medals won, and swimming, with 36 for the first and 26 for the second discipline.

The Brazilian team welcomed defender Fabrício Bruno this Sunday, but even so, coach Dorival Júnior did not have the complete group for training in Curitiba. Physically worn out, left-back Guilherme Arana, midfielders André and Lucas Paquetá and striker Vini Júnior were absent from the activity held at Athletico-PR's Caju training center.

According to the CBF, the quartet was only out of training due to load control and has no injuries. This way, Dorival will only have training this Monday to prepare the squad to face Paraguay. The duel valid for the eighth round of the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers will take place on Tuesday, at 9:30 pm (Brasília time), at the Defensores del Chaco stadium, in Asunción.

Summoned up to replace Éder Militão, cut , Fabrício Bruno arrived in Curitiba this Sunday morning and, in the afternoon, he went to the field with his teammates. The press was only able to follow the first 15 minutes of the activity.

This Monday, Brazil plays the last work before the match against Paraguay. Then, embark for Asunción. After beating Ecuador 1-0 last Friday, the Seleção occupies fourth place in the Qualifiers, with 10 points, eight less than leaders Argentina.

The Flamengois already preparing the debut of two important reinforcements for the classic against Vasco, next Sunday (15), in the Brazilian Championship: Alex Sandro and Gonzalo Plata. The new members of the red and black squad could be fundamental in the search for good results in the final stretch of the season. Between the two, the greatest expectations are around left-back Alex Sandro, who arrives with the status of immediate starter, mainly due to the lack of options for the position.

Ayrton Lucas, who had been the starter at left-back, is suspended and will not be able to play in the classic. Furthermore, Matias Viña, another full-back in the squad, suffered an injury that will leave him sidelined for the rest of the year, which makes Alex Sandro's entry into the team even more urgent. The player, who was recently signed by Juventus, from Italy, has extensive international experience and arrives at Flamengowith the mission of solving the gap left by injured and suspended teammates.

However, Despite high expectations, Alex Sandro has not taken the field since suffering a muscle injury while still playing for Juventus, which raises doubts about his physical condition for such an important game. Flamengo's technical committee is working to get him in shape and assess whether he will be able to play the 90 minutes against Vasco. Coach Tite knows the importance of having a full-back with Alex Sandro's experience, especially in a rivalry game like this, but he should not force the athlete beyond his physical limit.

Alongside Alex Sandro, the other highlight is Gonzalo Plata, an Ecuadorian striker who was recently signed. Plata has been closely monitored by the technical team and is in the final stages of adapting to Flamengo. He is seen as an important piece in the offensive sector, with the ability to play on the sides of the field and contribute with speed and skill in baseline plays. His debut is also highly anticipated, as the player is coming off good performances for Real Valladolid, in Spain, and has characteristics that can add to the red and black team, especially at a time of adjustments in the team.