IN SEARCH OF LEADERSHIP! FLAMENGO PLAYS 4 GAMES IN A FOLLOWED BY BRASILEIÃO

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

Summary

Peñarol started well and Peñarol soon showed that they 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 flanks, which gave Flamengo more speed, however, it had little effect due to a terrible night from Arrascaeta and De la Cruz.

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 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.

Last Sunday (15), Flamengo and Vasco drew 1-1, at Maracanã, in a match valid for the 26th round of the Brazilian Championship. The result, although frustrating for the red and blacks, who dominated much of the match, kept them eight points behind leader Botafogo.

Mais Querido entered the field imposing his pace and controlling the actions for most of the game. The red-black goal was scored by Gerson, who has been standing out in recent matches. However, CRF conceded the draw in the final minutes, which prevented a more significant approach to the classification table.

Even with the difference in points for Botafogo, the technical committee, led by Tite, devised a strategy focused on keeping the team competitive until the last rounds. According to information from the Coluna do Fla portal, the objective is to arrive "alive" in the fight for the title in the final five rounds. Matheus Bachi, assistant coach, believes that the recent good performance against Bahia and Vasco could be an indication that the team is on the right track to fight for the top again.

While trying to get closer to the leaders in the Brasileirão, Mengão is already preparing for the next challenge in the Libertadores. The team will face Peñarol, at Maracanã, in the quarterfinals of the continental tournament. The Rio team is looking for a good result at home before traveling to Uruguay for the second leg next week.