Filipe Luís laments Flamengo's draw: "Feeling of disappointment"

On Sunday night (4), Ceará and Flamengo faced each other in a match valid for the 18th round of the Brazilian Championship, at Arena Castelão. The match ended in a 1-1 draw, with goals from Arrascaeta, for the Rio de Janeiro team, and Pedro Raul, for the home team.

Despite the setback, Flamengo remains top of the competition , even with a game in hand over its main competitors. The result, however, reduced the advantage over the second-place team, which puts the team on alert for the rest of the season.

FILIPE LUÍS HIGHLIGHTS ENGAGEMENT

In a press conference after the draw, coach Filipe Luís evaluated the team's performance and highlighted the difficult schedule and the adaptation process of recent reinforcements: " If I'm not mistaken, there were nine shots in the first half. We had the ball, chances, shots, arrivals in the opponent's area and we had a great first half," he said before concluding.

"It's true that we have new signings. It's an extraordinary window for the club, and some players arrived without having had training time with the team they were already playing. Some were on vacation. Today, Lino played 90 minutes. I don't know if he was right for it, but he'll adapt, and he's already adapted quickly to our style of play," analyzed Filipe Luís.

POOR PERFORMANCE AGAINST ATLÉTICO-MG

Flamengo 's coach also commented on the below-average performance in the recent defeat to Atlético-MG, in the Copa do Brasil: "The subpar performance against Galo was largely their merit. They caused us difficulties . The team ended up inside their own box, due to the result. Games after three days, the team feels it. Even though some players didn't play", analyzed the coach.

Filipe Luís comments on Flamengo's poor form: "I believe it's largely due to the timing of the game"

"I don't think it's a physical problem. I think we're all in the same situation because of the schedule. I think it's largely due to the timing of the game, the fans' support, which made it difficult for us to occupy spaces. We ended up giving the opponent a chance, which was a corner kick. The team was defending our area quite well. We'll continue working and improving," concluded the coach.

Flamengo may have a major problem for the decisive clash against Atlético-MG, valid for the round of 16 of the Copa do Brasil. Arrascaeta, author of the equalizer in the 1-1 draw against Ceará , this Sunday (3), at Castelão, felt discomfort in his left thigh and left the field at half-time of the match valid for the 18th round of the Brazilian Championship.

According to coach Filipe Luís , the substitution was a precautionary measure to avoid jeopardizing the number 10's physical condition. " During the movement, I ended up feeling some discomfort (in my thigh). Knowing my body, I don't think it's anything serious. Hopefully, the scan shows up as minor," Arrascaeta said as he left the field.

The clinical evaluation is scheduled for this Monday (4), when the midfielder will undergo imaging tests that will confirm or rule out an injury. The Rio de Janeiro club remains cautious and monitors the player's situation to define his presence in the match scheduled for Thursday (6), at 7 pm (Brasília time), at Arena MRV.

GOAL FROM THE NUMBER 10

In the match against Ceará, Arrascaeta was decisive. The red-and-black goal came after a pass from Léo Ortiz to Plata, who headed the ball to the Uruguayan. The midfielder controlled the ball with ease and finished with his left foot to open the scoring. The Mais Querido dominated the first half but conceded an equalizer in the second.

FLAMENGO REMAINS LEADER

With the result, Flamengo reached 37 points in the Brasileirão and remains at the top, now tied with Cruzeiro, who defeated Botafogo. The focus now is on Arrascaeta's recovery and preparing to overturn the deficit against Atlético-MG, who won the first leg 1-0.

Flamengo drew 1-1 with Ceará on Sunday night (3). With the result at Castelão, Mengão remains in first place in the Brasileirão. The match marked another game where the Mais Querido's low effectiveness in building plays cost the final result dearly.

FIRST HALF

In the first half, Flamengo dominated. Mengão completely dominated possession and had more shots, despite goalkeeper Bruno Ferreira's lack of work, making only one save on a shot from Gonzalo Plata. Late in the first half, Plata found Arrascaeta in the box, who scored the red-and-black goal .

SECOND HALF

Despite maintaining high possession, Flamengo couldn't find the same effectiveness as in the first half, and Ceará began to find more space to play after Arrascaeta's departure. On a corner kick taken by Lucas Mugni, Rossi came out of goal but hesitated, and Pedro Raul headed the ball into the back of the net, tying the score.

With the result, Flamengo remains in first place with 37 points , but with the same number of points as Cruzeiro, with an advantage in goal difference (24 to 19). Mengão, however, still has one game less than the Minas Gerais team.

NEXT DUEL

Flamengo now prepares for the second leg of the Copa do Brasil round of 16 against Atlético-MG . Flamengo lost the first leg 1-0 at Maracanã and needs to win by at least two goals to secure qualification. If Flamengo wins by one goal, the match will go to penalties.