FULL HOUSE! SEE HOW MANY TICKETS WERE SOLD FOR FLAMENGO X SANTOS, AT MANÉ GARRINCHA STADIUM

With Flamengo's defeat to Peñarol in the Libertadores, it was necessary to bear the nuances of a winner who was not content with victory on the field, but needed to celebrate away from home, almost provoking the locals. The Uruguayan team left the locker room with lots of celebration, laughter and music.

The Peñarol players passed through the Maracanã mixed zone with a speaker playing Uruguayan music. The athletes were happy and smiling. But some even passed by, looking at the Brazilian journalists with a sideways smile, in an air of mockery while the music played.

The party was led by defender Guzmán Rodríguez, who passed by holding the speaker . It was the athlete who gave some ironic looks to the journalists, unable to contain his happiness at beating Flamengo 1-0 last Thursday night (19).

After passing through the mixed zone, some Uruguayan players took the wrong path and went straight ahead instead of returning behind the banners towards the visiting bus. Stadium security had to prevent them from going to the restaurant area, where Flamengo had dinner after the match.

After the 1-0 defeat, it's up to Flamengo to turn things around away from home. Rubro-Negro dreams of a fourth championship, and to do so, they need to reach the semifinals by eliminating Peñarol. If you win by a goal difference, the decision will go to penalties. To qualify directly, Mengão needs to win by two or more goals, waiting for Botafogo or São Paulo in the next phase.

With the defeat, Flamengo saw its positive record fall when playing as home team in the World Cup Liberators. There were 28 unbeaten games, chasing Boca Juniors' record. Furthermore, there were 17 consecutive victories, needing just two to equal El Nacional.

At 33 years old, Alex Sandro also felt the weight of physical exhaustion after the run of two consecutive games. After four months of inactivity, the full-back started two consecutive matches, which ended up taking its toll. In the 16th minute of the second half, he was replaced by Ayrton Lucas, showing signs of tiredness.

The player's physical condition raises doubts about his participation in the next match Flamengo, valid for the Brazilian Championship. On Sunday (22), the team will face Grêmio, in Porto Alegre, at 6:30 pm (Brasília time). Given Alex Sandro's obvious wear and tear, it is possible that coach Jorge Sampaoli will choose to preserve the athlete for the decisive game against Peñarol, next week. The player's physical preservation can be fundamental for him to be in full condition in the second leg of the Libertadores.

Flamengo is now finds himself in a delicate situation at Libertadores. With the defeat at Maracanã, the team will need to reverse the result in Montevideo to guarantee classification for the next phase of the competition. Despite the setback, Alex Sandro believes that Flamengo has all the conditions to beat Peñarol in Uruguay. According to him, the team has experienced players who know how to deal with the pressure and the hostile environment they will find at the Campeón del Siglo Stadium.

"We know it will be a difficult game, but Flamengo We have a qualified squad. We have experienced players, used to this type of situation. We are going there with confidence that we can turn the score around and advance in the competition", commented the full-back. Coach Tite will also need to make adjustments to the team for the second leg. The expectation is that Flamengo will enter the field with a more aggressive stance, seeking to control the game from the beginning and avoid the mistakes that cost them victory in the first duel. The team will not be able to repeat the passivity shown at Maracanã, at the risk of being eliminated from the Libertadores early.

Owning the assist for Gerson's goal in the draw with Vasco, last Sunday, Arrascaeta is approaching a historic milestone in the Brazilian Championship. With the assist he provided, the Uruguayan equaled Dudu and is just nine passes behind Marcelinho Carioca, potentially becoming the greatest assist in the history of the competition.

With 68 assists, Arrascaeta is ahead of names like Scarpa , Everton Ribeiro and Zico in statistics. Playing in Brazilian football since 2015, when he arrived at Cruzeiro, the midfielder has already played 218 matches in the Brazilian Championship, 50 of which were assists with the Flamengo shirt. b>

Arrascaeta stands out not only for his assists, but also for his goals. With 55 goals scored, 36 with the Flamengo shirt, the Uruguayan has remained among the best players in the championship since his debut at Cruzeiro.

Champion in 2019 and 2020, the midfielder has been in three of the last five “ideal teams” in the championship. He is currently the third foreigner with the most goals in Brazilian football this century, with 113 goals, behind only Cano and Paolo Guerrero.