Flamengo plays poorly in an inattentive match in all areas

After Flamengo's 1-0 victory over Internacional in the first leg of the Copa Libertadores Round of 16, Samuel Lino made a point of praising Bruno Henrique . The striker highlighted not only the number 27's technical quality, but especially his role as a leader of the squad.

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Samuel Lino on Bruno Henrique at Flamengo: "he's a great example of a player"

"Bruno is a great player who has achieved a lot for Flamengo in recent years. He's a player of great quality, but I'd rather emphasize the person he is, our captain . He's always in the locker room talking to us," said Lino, who added:

"He's a role model, and it's great to have that kind of person around, because he's always looking out for the best for the group, helping everyone. Bruno is a great example of a player, of his career, of the victories he achieved at Flamengo . I hope to achieve the same as him here at Flamengo ," said the new number 16 of the Mais Querido.

BRUNO HENRIQUE: IDOL AND RECORD HOLDER

Bruno Henrique shares with Arrascaeta the title of greatest champion in the club's history , with 15 titles won: three Brazilian Championships, two Libertadores, one South American Recopa, three Super Cups, three Brazilian Cups and five Cariocas.

DECISIVE GOAL AGAINST INTER

In the match against Internacional, the striker scored the winning goal in the 27th minute of the first half , heading in a corner kick from Luiz Araújo. The result gives Flamengo the advantage for the return leg at Beira-Rio.

After the game, Bruno Henrique assessed the team's performance: "We took possession in the first half, and in the second, because we wanted to score quickly, we ended up opening up a bit . It's something we need to improve, especially in the first 15 minutes of the second half."

AGENDA

Flamengo will decide its place in the quarterfinals of the Libertadores next Wednesday (20), at Beira-Rio, in Porto Alegre. Before that, it will face Internacional again this Sunday (17), at 6:30 pm (Brasília time), for the Brasileirão . Mengão is the leader of the competition with 40 points, three more than the second-placed Cruzeiro.

Flamengo is enjoying a great run of form under Filipe Luís, leading some fans to dream of a repeat of the historic 2019 season , when, under Jorge Jesus, the club won the Brasileirão and Libertadores. However, ESPN journalist Paulo Cobos considers the comparison hasty.

Paulo Cobos on the current Flamengo: "The Portuguese wouldn't make the current squad play better"

"The Flamengo of 2025 won't be as good as Jorge Jesus's 2019, and that won't be Filipe Luís's fault . The current team has many players who have rarely played professionally in Brazil. Expensive reinforcements, like Emerson Royal, have just arrived and are already being booed," he stated.

Cobos also highlighted the difference in attack: "Any quartet that Filipe Luís fields is far from the splendor of Arrascaeta, Everton Ribeiro, Bruno Henrique, and Gabigol. It's clear that Jorge Jesus, in 2019, was much more experienced than Filipe is today , but even at his peak, the Portuguese wouldn't have made the current squad play any better than that team."

COMPARISON IN NUMBERS

• Flamengo 2019 (Jorge Jesus): 74 games | 49 wins | 16 draws | 9 losses | 73.4% success rate | Carioca, Brazilian and Libertadores Champion.
• Flamengo 2025 (Filipe Luís): 49 games | 32 wins | 10 draws | 7 losses | 72.1% success rate | Leader of the Brasileirão and victory in the first leg of the round of 16 of the Libertadores.

NEXT CHALLENGE

Flamengo returns to the field this Sunday (17), at 6:30 pm (Brasília time), against Internacional, at Beira-Rio, for the 20th round of the Brazilian Championship. Mengão is the leader of the Brasileirão with 40 points , three more than the vice-leader, Cruzeiro, but with one game less compared to the Minas Gerais club.

After beating Internacional 1-0 at Maracanã , in the first leg of the round of 16 of the Libertadores, Flamengo is preparing for the decisive duel of the return leg, this Wednesday (20), at Beira-Rio. Conmebol confirmed that Uruguayan referee Esteban Ostojich will be responsible for conducting the match .

In the 2025 edition of the tournament, the Uruguayan has already refereed seven matches. The VAR role will be handled by his compatriot Andres Cunha . This, however, is Flamengo 's first match refereeing by Ostojich in the current edition of the continental competition.

FLAMENGO'S RETROSPECT WITH OSTOJICH IN THE LIBERTADORES

• 2021 – LDU (EQU) 2 x 3 Flamengo
• 2022 – Flamengo 1 x 0 Corinthians
• 2023 – Ñublense (CHI) 1 x 1 Flamengo
• 2024 – Palestino (CHI) 1 x 0 Flamengo

In total, there were four Mengão games under Ostojich's refereeing, with two wins, one draw and one defeat .

HOW WAS THE FIRST GAME?

In the Maracanã match, played last Wednesday (13), Bruno Henrique scored, with a header, the winning goal for the red-black team in the first half. With the result, Filipe Luís' team can draw at Beira-Rio to advance to the quarterfinals .

RED-BLACK AGENDA

Before the decision for the Libertadores, Flamengo and Internacional meet again this Sunday (17), at 6:30 pm (Brasília time) , at Beira-Rio, for the 20th round of the Brazilian Championship. Mengão is the leader of the competition with 40 points, three more than the vice-leader, Cruzeiro, and with one game less than Raposa.