WATCH LIVE (WITH IMAGES)- FLAMENGO

The duel between Flamengo and Grêmio, held this Sunday (31) at Maracanã , ended 1-1 and left Mengão fans with a taste of frustration. While Mais Querido pressed in search of victory, the gaúchos managed to defend themselves consistently and take advantage of the counterattacks.

At a press conference, Mano Menezes detailed the plan he designed to stop the movement of Gonzalo Plata, one of the main players on the red-and-black team: "We created a line of five with the attacker outside the full-back to try to neutralize a movement that Plata does very well. We assigned Marlon to chase him almost until the end of the play. We sacrificed Kike Oliveira because he had to mark down low the whole time, and sometimes that costs dearly."

GRÊMIO BET ON THE RETRANCA

Despite their defensive solidity, Grêmio didn't escape the pressure. Arrascaeta opened the scoring for the home side in the second half, following a mistake in the opponent's clearance. The equalizer came late, with Volpi converting a penalty kick.

Mano Menezes acknowledged the risks the team took by relying so heavily on defense: "There are competent players on the other side, but Flamengo came out a little differently (in the second half). We couldn't handle the pressure anymore and we made two mistakes in the transition. You can't make a huge mistake in the transition because then you'll get a counterattack from the counterattack. We conceded the goal, but then we tried to find other solutions. We couldn't concede a second."

VOLPI TOOK GRÊMIO'S PENALTY

With Braithwaite already off the field, goalkeeper Volpi took responsibility for the penalty against Flamengo . The goalkeeper converted and secured the draw at Maracanã, earning public praise from Mano Menezes.

"He made a spectacular save against Ceará, he made two spectacular saves today. And when we had the penalty awarded, Braithwaite, our official penalty taker, was no longer there. I think it would be a huge burden for Cristaldo at that moment. I didn't want to give it to him. I know he would take on that responsibility, but Volpi trains very well, he takes the penalty well," concluded the coach.

Defender David Luiz, formerly of Flamengo and currently playing for Pafos in Cyprus, broke his silence after being accused of making death threats by his alleged ex-lover Francisca Karollainy Barbosa Cavalcante. The 37-year-old defender maintained that he never committed the alleged crimes and stated that legal action is already underway.

In a video posted on social media, the athlete highlighted: " I never threatened anyone, I never threatened this person, I was never with her in person, I was never at the hotel where she says I was. In fact, last week, the original email from the hotel was made available to the press confirming that I was never there."

DEFENDER'S STATEMENTS

During his statement, David Luiz admitted to having engaged in conversations with Francisca, but rejected any accusations of threats or personal encounters: " I was wrong to exchange messages with this person, but I never — never — threatened her or anyone else in my life. I have never been personally with this person."

The player reinforced that he is going through a difficult time, but that he hopes for the resolution of the case: " Legal measures are already being taken, and I hope that justice is done as quickly as possible, so that everyone knows the real truth ."

COMPLAINT REPORTS THREATS

The complaint came from Francisca Karollainy Barbosa Cavalcante, who claimed to have had an extramarital relationship with the defender. According to her, after the relationship ended, she began receiving threatening messages on Instagram.

In a police report, the young woman reported: " After the relationship ended, he began to constantly threaten me. I received, on Instagram, a message sent by David Luiz himself containing the following words: 'You know I have money and power, so don't play smart. It would be sad if your son had to pay the consequences of his actions. I can simply make you disappear.'"

Much criticized by fans after the 1-1 draw with Grêmio , last Sunday (31), left-back Ayrton Lucas decided to delete his Instagram account. Since then, it is no longer possible to find the player's profile , who has defended Flamengo since 2022.

PERFORMANCE AGAINST GRÊMIO

Starting in the absence of the injured Alex Sandro, Ayrton Lucas's performance was below expectations. To make matters worse, he was responsible for the play that led to Grêmio's equalizer : the ball hit his hand inside the box in the final minutes, resulting in the penalty kick being converted by the opponent. The incident generated strong dissatisfaction among fans, who were vocal in their criticism on social media. Although the full-back has not commented, his digital disappearance is seen as a reflection of the pressure he has received.

LEFT-BACK OPTIONS

Filipe Luís on the fight for left-back at Flamengo: "It's difficult to choose"

Despite the turbulent times, the team boasts some strong options in the red-and-black squad. In addition to Ayrton Lucas, coach Filipe Luís has Alex Sandro and Matías Viña , both of whom have played for their national teams in World Cups. Alex Sandro, however, has been battling repeated injuries, while Viña recovered from a serious injury in 2024 and returned to action this season.

Thus, the race for the starting spot remains wide open. It remains to be seen whether Filipe Luís's confidence in Ayrton Lucas will prevail or whether Viña will gain more space in the team . In the post-match press conference, the coach indicated a preference for the Brazilian as the second man in the position, behind Alex Sandro.

"He (Ayrton Lucas) didn't start against Vitória because he had a family issue. At the level he's playing, it's difficult to choose. I chose the option I thought was best for the win . All three remain very good options for the coach to choose from and have a high-level full-back," the coach stated.

NEXT GAME

The team returns to action on September 14th, against Juventude, at 4 pm (Brasília time), at the Alfredo Jaconi stadium, in Caxias do Sul, for the 23rd round of the Brasileirão. Flamengo is looking to end a long winless streak at the Jaconero stadium . The last time they won there was on October 1st, 1997, when the score ended 1-0 to "Mais Querido" due to an own goal by Rodrigo Costa.