WATCH LIVE (WITH IMAGES)- FLAMENGO VS CUIABÁ BRASILEIROO UNDER-17

Pulgar will undergo surgery due to a fracture in the fifth metatarsal . After returning to Rio de Janeiro last Tuesday (1), Flamengo announced that the Chilean underwent new tests that confirmed the severity of the injury suffered in the match against Bayern Munich. The tests confirmed the injury in the same region where the midfielder had already been injured in 2023.

Given the diagnosis, Flamengo's Medical Department opted for surgical treatment. The operation is scheduled for this Thursday (3) and will be carried out in Chile, the player's home country, where he will also begin the rehabilitation process.

INJURY AFTER TACKLE ON HARRY KANE

Pulgar was injured in the first half of the match against the Germans, in the round of 16 of the Club World Cup. In the 42nd minute, the number 5 committed a hard foul on Harry Kane and was cautioned with a yellow card . Soon after, showing discomfort, he went to the bench complaining of pain in his right foot and had to be replaced by Allan.

While still at the stadium, he was taken by ambulance to the hospital, where initial tests indicated a fracture . Upon arrival in Brazil last Tuesday, the Chilean disembarked in a wheelchair, indicating the seriousness of the case.

RETURN FORECAST

Although Flamengo has not yet officially announced the recovery timeframe, Pulgar is expected to be out of action for two to three months. Surgery is considered the most efficient way to ensure a full recovery , although there are conservative alternatives, such as physiotherapy — ruled out in this case due to the player's recent history.

The injury comes at a delicate time, as the club has just negotiated Gerson's transfer and is looking for reinforcements in the midfield sector . Pulgar's prolonged absence should speed up the arrival of at least one name for the position.

After returning from the Club World Cup, Flamengo's squad will have a month of games packed with matches in July . Thus, the first match of the Mais Querido in the Brasileirão will be against São Paulo, which had the date set by the CBF.

Flamengo and São Paulo will face each other on July 12 (Saturday), in a match valid for the 13th round of the Brasileirão, at Maracanã. In addition, the CBF also defined that the match will start at 4:30 pm.

REASON FOR UNDEFINED

The date of the match had not been previously defined due to Flamengo's participation in the Club World Cup. This is because, if the Rubro-Negro advanced to the last stages of the competition, the CBF would have to reschedule the match against São Paulo again .

GAMES MARATHON IN JULY

So, in the coming weeks, Flamengo will face a marathon of games in the Brasileirão. The sequence starts on the 12th, against São Paulo, at Maracanã. Soon after, the Mais Querido will face Santos, with the location still to be defined. On the 20th, Mengo will play the classic against Fluminense.

On the 23rd, Flamengo travels to face Bragantino. It is worth noting that, at the moment, the Mais Querido is the leader of the Brasileirão, with 24 points in 11 rounds. At the end of July, Flamengo turns its attention to the Copa do Brasil. The Mais Querido hosts Atlético-MG on the 27th, at Maracanã, for the first leg of the round of 16. Finally, on the 31st, the Rubro-Negro visits the team from Minas Gerais, for the return leg.

Flamengo's dream of winning the World Cup for the second time was cut short in the round of 16 , with a defeat to Bayern Munich (GER). Even so, the performance of the team led by Filipe Luís in the United States earned praise even from European rivals. One of those who spoke out was Xabi Alonso, coach of Real Madrid (ESP), who described the red-and-black team's participation as “good news” for global football.

Xabi Alonso on the Club World Cup: "Flamengo played at a good level against Bayern"

“As for the Brazilians, you can feel and understand what this World Cup means to them . They have an emotion and enthusiasm that gives them an extra boost. On Sunday, Flamengo played at a good level against Bayern. Fluminense are already in the quarter-finals, and so are Palmeiras,” said the Real Madrid coach.

POSITIVE VISIBILITY

Xabi Alonso also highlighted the importance of South American football’s visibility: “ We tend to follow European football more , even because of the schedules. But it’s good to see that there are also great teams outside of Europe. This is positive for football as a whole,” concluded the Real Madrid coach.

RUBRO-NEGRA CAMPAIGN IN THE CLUB WORLD CUP

Flamengo ended their participation in the World Cup with two wins and a draw before being eliminated by the Germans. They beat Espérance (TUN) 2-0, Chelsea (ENG) 3-1 and drew with Los Angeles FC (USA) 1-1 , playing with a reserve team. In the elimination, despite the score of 4-2 for Bayern, the Rio de Janeiro team had more possession of the ball and shots on goal.

Interestingly, Flamengo's performance was superior to that of other Brazilian teams still in the tournament . Palmeiras, for example, advanced to the quarterfinals with just one win — over Al Ahly (EGI). The São Paulo team drew with Porto (POR) and Inter Miami (USA) in the group stage and needed extra time to eliminate Botafogo in the round of 16, after a 0-0 draw in normal time.