FLAMENGO STAR REVEALS THE MAIN CHANGE THAT HAPPENED TO THE TEAM IN THE CHANGE OF TECHNICAL COMMAND

On Thursday night (19), Flamengo hosted Peñarol at Maracanã for the first leg of the quarter-finals of the Copa Libertadores da América and came out with an unfavorable result. In front of more than 64 thousand fans, the team led by Tite had several opportunities, but failed to score.

The Uruguayan team took advantage of one of the few chances and, with a goal from Cabrera, secured a 1-0 victory. Now, Mengão will need to reverse the deficit in the second leg, scheduled for next Thursday- fair (26), in Montevideo.

This Thursday's defeat puts the Rio team in a delicate situation. To guarantee qualification to the semi-finals, Mais Querido will need to win by two goals at the Campeón del Siglo Stadium. A simple victory will take the decision to penalties, while any other score guarantees Peñarol's place. The result was even more painful for the club, as Flamengo has not lost at Maracanã in Libertadores competitions since 2019, also to Peñarol.

DIRECT CONFRONTATION BETWEEN FLAMENGO AND PEÑAROL

The return game is full of expectations, mainly due to the historic rivalry between the two teams in the South American competition. The winner of this duel will face, in the semifinals, the winner of the clash between Botafogo and São Paulo. On the other side of the bracket, there are River Plate (Argentina), Colo-Colo (Chile), Fluminense and Atlético-MG, which makes the path to the final even more competitive.

FLAMENGO AND PEÑAROL RETURN TO THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

Before the decisive match for the Libertadores, both teams have commitments for their national leagues. CRF travels to Porto Alegre to face Grêmio, next Sunday (22), at 6:30 pm, for the Brazilian Championship. Peñarol faces Cerro, also on Sunday, at 7pm, away from home, in the Clausura of the Uruguayan Championship.

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;

Lorran became the absolute starter for Flamengo during the Copa América period. This is because the young man filled the shoes of Arrascaeta and De La Cruz, who were working for Uruguay. However, the boy from Ninho gradually lost ground and was even booed by some of the fans at Maracanã. In this way, the athlete's removal from the team is part of a club process, so that the midfielder is shielded and enhances development.

The young midfielder started as a starter against Grêmio, Athletico-PR, Bahia, Fluminense, Juventude and Cruzeiro, when he received boos. Soon after, he entered the final stretch against Atlético-MG, was called on in the second half and was on the bench in the 90th minute in the game against Fortaleza.

SPECIAL PROCESS WITH LORRAN

With Lorran's oscillation, a process treated naturally in Mais Querido due to the player's age, reception and preservation are prioritized in the midfielder's relationship with Tite's technical committee. Thus, in order to keep the young man focused, there is off-field work between the club, the athlete's agents and his family, with the aim of polishing the jewel to meet the expectations created.

CONTRACT RENEWAL< After turning 18 last week, Lorran is close to signing his contract with Mais Querido. With a contract valid until December 2025, the parties are in advanced talks to sign a new agreement for five years. In the current season, the young midfielder played 20 professional matches, with one goal and three assists.

FOCUS ON THE NEXT CONFRONTATION

So, with Lorran available and the rest of the squad , Tite leads this Tuesday (16) the team's second activity with a view to the clash against Criciúma, on Saturday (20). The game will be at 4pm, at Mané Garrincha, in Brasília, for the 18th round of the Brasileirão.