Flamengo tries to hold back Bahia's "Tabu" for more than five years

Right-back Emerson Royal left the field early in the duel between Flamengo and Internacional , this Wednesday (13), valid for the first leg of the round of 16 of the Copa Libertadores. According to the club's official statement, the number 22 suffered a sprain in his left ankle at the beginning of the first half and was replaced at half-time by Guillermo Varela.

Emerson Royal says he asked to return for Flamengo vs Internacional: "my performance would have dropped even further"

The injury occurred 25 minutes into the first half, after a challenge with an Internacional player, with the score still tied. Royal fell to the pitch in pain, received medical attention, but remained on the field until the final whistle of the first half . After the game, the full-back revealed that he even asked for an injection to stay on, but it was not granted.

" I asked him, please, do something, because I want to try to help Flamengo in the second half, but we decided not to return because as the game progressed, my performance would decline even further. At the beginning of the game, I was fine, but then, as time went on, the pain began to increase and began to limit me a lot, especially when changing direction, sprinting, and jumping, it also hurt a lot," said Royal.

THE GOAL OF THE MATCH

Flamengo's pressure paid off in the 27th minute. Luiz Araújo took a precise corner kick and found Bruno Henrique unmarked in the box . The striker headed the ball firmly, leaving Rochet no chance, opening the scoring at the Maracanã and giving Flamengo the lead in the Libertadores.

NEXT APPOINTMENT

Before the return leg of the Libertadores, Flamengo and Internacional will face each other again, but this time for the Brazilian Championship . The match will be this Sunday (17), at 6:30 pm (Brasília time), at Beira-Rio. Mengão is the leader of the Brasileirão with 40 points, three more than Cruzeiro, in second place, and with one game less than the team from Minas Gerais.

Flamengo beat Internacional 1-0 this Wednesday (13) , at Maracanã, and started with an advantage in the round of 16 of the Copa Libertadores. Despite the positive result, striker Bruno Henrique assessed that the team lost performance in the second half and explained the reasons for the drop in intensity.

" In the second half, for the first 15 minutes , we want to score right away, and it ends up deviating a bit from what we planned at halftime. We end up being a bit exposed, and the opposing team scores a lot in the first half. In the second half, they have to open up to try to score," said the number 27.

"That's what happened against Internacional. They scored the whole time in the first half. We had more possession, more shots, and more through balls. We took possession in the first half, and in the second half, because we wanted to score quickly , we ended up opening up a bit. It's an area we have to improve on. Jorginho just told me that, so we have to try to improve even more in the first 15 minutes of the second half," he added.

STATISTICS SHOW DOMINANCE

The numbers back up the striker's assessment. In the first half, Flamengo largely controlled possession, registering 73% of the ball and eight shots on goal. In the second half, possession dropped to 59%, and the Rio de Janeiro team managed just two shots, compared to the Rio Grande do Sul club's four attempts.

Game sequence

With the victory, the red-black team needs only a draw in the second leg to guarantee a place in the quarterfinals of the Libertadores. The decisive match will be next Wednesday (20), at the Beira-Rio Stadium, in Porto Alegre . Before that, the teams will face each other again next Sunday (17), for the Brazilian Championship, again in the capital of Rio Grande do Sul, at 6:30 pm (Brasília time).

Midfielder Jorge Carrascal made his debut for Flamengo this Wednesday (13), against Internacional , in a duel valid for the round of 16 of the Copa Libertadores. The Colombian player, who was already regularized, was related last Saturday (9), against Mirassol, but did not enter the field on that occasion.

The opportunity arose during the continental tournament. Carrascal replaced Gonzalo Plata in the 28th minute of the second half and remained on the field for 23 minutes, including stoppage time. Playing at the Maracanã, the athlete made his first appearances in an official match for the red-and-black jersey.

PERFORMANCE ACCORDING TO STATISTICS

According to SofaScore data, the rookie participated in 18 ball possession moves, making 12 passes, of which he completed eight—a 67% pass success rate. The Colombian also successfully dribbled, won four of ten duels , and made two important tackles.

With this participation, Carrascal became the last of the season's four reinforcements to enter the field, completing the list that already included the debuts of Samuel Lino, Emerson Royal and Saúl Ñíguez.

Game sequence

Flamengo will face Internacional again next Sunday (17), this time for the Brazilian Championship. Then, on the 20th, the teams will meet again for the second leg of the round of 16 of the Libertadores , which will decide who advances in the main club competition in South America.