Red-and-black journalist talks about Sunday's classic: 'Flamengo is a monstrous underdog against Botafogo'

The Flamengo, one of the biggest clubs in Brazilian football, is experiencing a moment of turbulence. The recent defeat to Peñarol, in the middle of Maracanã, by 1-0, during the first game of the quarter-finals of the Copa Libertadores, increased even more pressure on coach Tite, who had already been the target of criticism due to his poor performance. expected from the team throughout the season. With club elections scheduled for the end of the year and Tite's contract approaching the end, the coach's renewal is considered unlikely. In this scenario, Luís Castro emerges as one of the main candidates to take over Flamengo's technical command, according to details released behind the scenes.

The match against Peñarol, held last Thursday (19), was a reflection of the difficulties faced by Flamengo this season. The team performed poorly on the field, with few clear chances to score and unable to impose their game against an opponent who knew how to defend themselves well. The substitutions made by Tite throughout the match did not bring the expected impact, and Flamengo ended up being defeated at home, frustrating their fans.

The fans' dissatisfaction was evident during the game, with boos directed at the team at several moments. This behavior was not well received by everyone in the squad, especially goalkeeper Rossi. In an interview after the game, the athlete vented, stating that, during the match, the support of the fans is essential, and that booing only increases the pressure on the players at a crucial moment.

With the defeat for Peñarol, the pressure on Tite increased significantly. Since his arrival at Flamengo, the coach has been facing difficulties implementing his playing style and obtaining consistent results. The team fluctuated in important competitions and was unable to maintain the level of performance expected by a club of Flamengo's size and tradition.

In a year of unprecedented achievements, the Under-20 Boys from the Nest reached another important milestone in 2024: 100 goals scored in 56 games. An average of 1.76 goals per match. With this offensive power, Flamengo goes to Saquarema, in the Lagos Region, to face Boavista in the first game of the Carioca semifinal. The ball rolls at 2:45 pm, at the Elcyr Rezende stadium, in Bacaxá, broadcast by FlaTV.

The century-old milestone was achieved by the U20s in the first leg of Carioca's quarter-finals against Nova Iguaçu, outside the house. Guilherme and Wallace Yan scored in the victory that practically guaranteed Mengão in the semifinals. The goals are counted from the following competitions in which the category was represented: Copa São Paulo de Futebol Junior, Libertadores, Copa Rio, Brasileirão, Mundial and Carioca.

“It’s great to reach these goals. This means beautiful teamwork. We know how to kill the opportunities we have. And on Saturday you can expect a very competitive team that is much stronger than before. We're going to fight to get to the final” said striker Wallace Yan, top scorer in the category who has played in different roles in attack and has 20 goal contributions.

56 GAMES

37 WINS

6 DRAWS

13 DEFEATS

100 GOALS FOR

56 GOALS AGAINST

10 GOALS - WALLACE YAN;

9 GOALS – ADRIEL;

7 GOALS – IAGO;

6 GOALS - FELIPE TERESA, GUILHERME;

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5 GOALS – SHOLA;

4 GOALS - RODRIGUINHO, VICTOR SILVA;

3 GOALS - LORRAN, ZÉ WELINTON;

2 GOALS - DANIEL ROGÉRIO, GUSTTAVO, FELIPE LIMA, MATHEUS GONÇALVES, LUCAS OLIVEIRA, GERMANO, CAIO GARCIA;

1 GOAL - LUCAS SILVA, VICTOR THIAGO, CARBONE, JEAN CARLOS, RAFAEL COUTO, ISAQUE, PEDRO LEMOS, BILL, THIAGO MEDEIROS, PEDRO LEÃO, MENEGATTI, LUIS AUCÉLIO;

10 PASSES - WALLACE YAN;

6 PASSES – GUILHERME ;

5 PASSES – SHOLA;

4 PASSES – JEAN CARLOS;

3 PASSES – FELIPE LIMA, THIAGO MEDEIROS, DANIEL SALES, FELIPE TERESA;

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2 PASSES - VICTOR SILVA, ZÉ WELINTON, LUCYAN, LUIS AUCÉLIO, GERMANO, LORRAN;

1 PASS - CAIO GARCIA, DANIEL ROGÉRIO, MENEGATTI, DA MATA, AINOÃ, IAGO, RODRIGUINHO, GUSTTAVO, GUSTAVO KRUG, PEDRO LEÃO, GERMANO, FELIPE VIEIRA.

In the Carioca U20 Championship, Mengão was led by both Filipe Luís and Raphael Bahia, coach of U20 B. Bahia, In fact, he led the team in more games this year (21 games), and therefore, 40% of the goals scored were with him in the technical area, indicating participation both in the season and in the category's campaign that reached the semi-finals of Carioca.< /p>

Boavista and Flamengo are broadcast exclusively on FlaTV direct from Saquarema, which will be live from 2:15 pm this Saturday (21). Go after them, Mengão!