Flamengo entered the field on Thursday night. With a packed Maracanã, Tite's men played the first match of the Libertadores quarter-finals against Peñarol (URU). The objective was to play a good game and take an advantage for the return game, next week. In this sense, the Rio team ended up disappointing the more than 60 thousand paying guests at the stadium and lost 1-0, in one of the team's worst matches of the year.

Summary

Peñarol It started well and Peñarol soon showed that it would play on the red and black error. Therefore, the Uruguayans opened the scoring after 12 minutes, with Cabrera, in a counterattack. Soon after, Flamengo responded with Plata's header hitting the post. But the red and black team had difficulty creating chances. In the final stretch of the first half, Flamengo grew and had great opportunities to draw. Bruno Henrique, alone, headed over goalkeeper Aguerre, who also made a great save from Arrascaeta's shot.

In the second half, Flamengo came back even better, but came up against the strong Uruguayan marking and the lack of creativity to reach the opponent's goal. Tite moved the sides, which gave Flamengo more speed, however, it had little effect due to a terrible night from Arrascaeta and De la Cruz. As a result, the result did not change and now Flamengo needs to reverse the situation away from home next week.

What now?

With the result, Flamengo will need to win by at least two goals to guarantee one of the places in the Libertadores semi-finals. The match takes place in Uruguay, next Thursday. However, Fla needs to turn the key, because there is a Brazilian Championship game to play on the weekend. Tite's men will face Grêmio, away from home, next Sunday, at 6:30 pm;

Last Wednesday (18), representatives from Flamengo and Caixa Econômica Federal held another meeting to resolve the impasse surrounding the Gasologista land, acquired by the club in July. The meeting had the support of Rio de Janeiro City Hall and the Attorney General's Office (AGU), and a new meeting scheduled for next week, in Brasília, could seal the definitive agreement. The information was released by journalist Diogo Dantas, from the newspaper "O Globo".

Mengão's board of directors, represented by president Rodolfo Landim, vice-general Rodrigo Dunshee, CEO Reinaldo Belotti and vice-president of equity Marcos Bodin, was optimistic about the possibility of a solution soon. Caixa questions the amount paid by the club at the land auction, but everything indicates that an additional amount could resolve the legal conflict by next month.

The meeting was also attended by deputy Pedro Paulo and the club's director of external relations, Cacau Cotta, who have acted as intermediaries between the club and the mayor from Rio, Eduardo Paes. In August, a meeting involving the bank's president, Carlos Vieira, president Lula and mayor Eduardo Paes had already signaled the path to an agreement.

Mais Querido's director of external relations, Cacau Cotta, highlighted that the agreement is the ideal way to give peace of mind to the club. "For the club, a good agreement is always better than an eternal discussion about values. The land has already been expropriated. The agreement is ideal to eliminate any doubts and for Flamengo to have the necessary peace of mind to begin the work", said Cotta.

The Flamengo takes the field today for the Brazilian Women's Championship, facing Ferroviária at 3pm at the Luso-Brasileiro stadium. The match marks the last round of the first phase of the competition, a crucial moment for the Rio team. The “Meninas da Gávea” seek to guarantee the best possible position in the table, aiming for an advantage in the knockout stages that will follow.

The game will be broadcast live on SporTV, offering fans the opportunity to follow each of this decisive match. The Flamengo team has been preparing intensely for this clash, aware of the importance of finishing the group stage with a positive result. Ferroviária, this afternoon's opponent, is one of the most traditional teams in Brazilian women's football, known for its competitiveness and history of achievements. Therefore, Flamengo needs to be attentive and concentrated to overcome an opponent who will certainly offer resistance.

In preparation for the confrontation, the coach do Flamengo should have emphasized the importance of maintaining defensive consistency and attacking efficiency. The red-black team demonstrated, throughout the competition, a significant offensive capacity, but it is crucial that this effectiveness is maintained and, if possible, improved in this final game of the first phase.

In addition, the match today also serves as a thermometer to evaluate the team's evolution throughout the championship. Flamengo started the competition with ups and downs, but gained pace and improved its performance as the rounds progressed. This growth will be fundamental for the decisive phases to come.

In the context of the Brazilian Women's Championship, each point won can make a big difference in defining the crossovers for the next phases. A positive result today could ensure Flamengo a more comfortable position and possibly avoid a more complicated clash in the quarter-finals.