French team star visits Maracanã and reveals dream of playing for Flamengo

After the 1-1 draw between Flamengo and Grêmio this Sunday (31), at Maracanã, Mano Menezes commented on the red-black 8-0 thrashing of Vitória, which occurred days before. The coach stated that he did not use the match as a reference to prepare his team.

Mano Menezes on Flamengo vs. Vitória: "An 8-0 defeat cannot be analyzed"

"We know Maracanã, we know what the confidence of a packed stadium means when Flamengo is doing well. It's very difficult to contain that momentum. But anyone with experience in football knows that an 8-0 rout is not something to analyze; it's an exception to all exceptions ," he declared.

Mano then explained how he sees the red-and-black team currently: "You need to analyze Flamengo this season, the last few games. With Saúl's arrival, the team has taken on new characteristics. It's a team that demands awareness, changing marking, and a lot of defensive balance . Our team performed well in this regard, offering little to an opponent of this quality," he concluded.

HOW WAS THE GAME?

Flamengo dominated much of the match and opened the scoring eight minutes into the second half, with a one-two between Pedro and Arrascaeta, who finished for goal . The Rio de Janeiro team created opportunities to extend their lead, but conceded an equalizer in the 40th minute. After a Grêmio counterattack, the ball hit Ayrton Lucas's arm inside the box, and the referee awarded a penalty. Goalkeeper Thiago Volpi converted, making it 1-1.

SITUATION IN THE TABLE

With the result, Flamengo reached 47 points and maintained its sole lead in the Brasileirão . Cruzeiro is second with 44, followed by Palmeiras with 42. Grêmio is in 12th place with 25 points. The Mais Querido will now return to action on September 14th, when it travels to Caxias do Sul to face Juventude.

Flamengo drew 1-1 with Grêmio last Sunday (31), at Maracanã, in the 22nd round of the Brazilian Championship. Now, with the break for the September FIFA Date, coach Filipe Luís intends to take advantage of the period to analyze the team and identify points of improvement for the rest of the season.

Filipe Luís reveals what he will do at Flamengo during the FIFA World Cup: "define the main areas in which the team needs to improve"

"Starting tomorrow, I'll begin analyzing our performance and identifying the key areas where the team needs to improve. The result was 1-1, but the game doesn't reflect that. We did a lot of good things, both defensively and offensively ," the coach emphasized.

Filipe then reinforced his view of the team's performance: "We did more than enough to come away with a positive result. The score doesn't fool me. I'm always realistic about what happens on the field . In the 8-0 loss, I had things to fix, and in this game, we'll also have points to fix, with Juventude in mind," the coach concluded.

FIFA DATE PLANNING

With the national calendar suspended, the red-black squad was given a day off until Thursday (4). The return is scheduled for Friday (5), at Ninho do Urubu. The period will be used by the coaching staff to prepare for the decisive stretch of the season, which includes Libertadores knockout games and direct clashes for the Brazilian title.

SITUATION IN THE TABLE

Despite the draw against Grêmio, Flamengo remains top of the Brasileirão with 47 points . Cruzeiro moved into second place with 44, while Palmeiras dropped to third place with 43 after drawing with Corinthians.

FLAMENGO'S 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.

Former Flamengo player Lucas Paquetá's celebration against Nottingham Forest, with a mock rejection of a call and a kiss on the crest, went beyond the euphoria of the goal. The gesture reflected the outcome of a negotiation: West Ham rejected Aston Villa's terms and decided to keep the midfielder.

REJECTED PROPOSAL

The Birmingham club offered £47 million (R$347 million), but in installments: an initial loan, an obligation to buy after one year, and additional bonuses . The Hammers didn't like this format, and they're demanding around £50 million (R$369 million) to release the player.

EARLY TRAVEL

Given the uncertainty, there was a possibility that Paquetá would remain in London until the window closed , this Monday (1st), for medical exams and bureaucratic procedures. However, the Brazilian boarded the plane to Rio de Janeiro on Sunday.

PRESENTATION TO SELECTION

West Ham's number 10 is expected this Monday at Granja Comary in Teresópolis to report to Carlo Ancelotti. This will be his first call-up in 2025, after absences in March under Dorival Júnior and in June under the Italian coach. Paquetá had been investigated for alleged involvement in betting but was recently acquitted.

HEATED MARKET

Having just turned 28, the Flamengo youth product remains highly valued in the European market and is expected to be a target for clubs again in the January window . At the start of the season, he scored three goals in four appearances for West Ham, all of which came in the Hammers' last three games.

BRAZIL'S NEXT COMMITMENTS

The Brazilian National Team begins training this Monday at Granja Comary, with an eye on the last two rounds of the Qualifiers . On Thursday (4), they face Chile at Maracanã, at 9:30 pm (Brasília time). On the 9th, they face Bolivia, at 8:30 pm, in El Alto, at an altitude of 4,100 meters.