Midfielder feels pain and may be out for Flamengo

On Sunday night (31), Flamengo drew 1-1 with Ceará at Arena Castelão, in a duel valid for the 18th round of the Brazilian Championship. The result kept the Rio de Janeiro club at the top of the competition , even with one game less, but raised an alert for the rest of the season, as performance in the final stage dropped drastically.

After the final whistle, Mais Querido's coach, Filipe Luís, didn't hide his frustration with the result . In a press conference, the manager admitted that the team left something to be desired in the second half and stated:

"I like to come right after the game with my heart still warm because I'm expressing what's inside me. A feeling of disappointment. After having played a great first half, creating scoring chances and finishing many times on the opponent's goal, we suffered a significant drop in the second half and, due to our carelessness, on a set piece, we conceded the equalizer. Of course, the feeling is one of disappointment. We have no other choice but to work hard and continue to improve."

ARRASCAETA SCORES FOR FLAMENGO

Flamengo got off to a promising start. They dominated the game and opened the scoring with Arrascaeta in the first half, creating several opportunities to extend their lead. However, the team failed to maintain the same momentum after the break. Pedro Raul, in a set piece, capitalized on a defensive error and leveled the score, thwarting Flamengo 's plans to extend their lead at the top.

FOCUS ON THE BRAZIL CUP

Mengão now turns its attention to the Copa do Brasil. Next Wednesday (6), it faces Atlético-MG, at 7 pm, at Arena MRV , for the second leg of the round of 16. Filipe Luís' team will seek to recover the good football shown in the first 45 minutes against Ceará, with the mission of confirming its place in the next phase of the national tournament.

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.

In the midst of one of its worst institutional and financial crises , Corinthians heard a direct message from one of the names behind Flamengo's recent success. Former Flamengo president Eduardo Bandeira de Mello stated that the São Paulo club needs, above all, "shame on its face" to begin a recovery process .

The statement was made during an interview with the Benja Me Mucho channel, one day after the president of the Corinthians Deliberative Council, Romeu Tuma Júnior, declared that the club “wants to be like Flamengo”, which generated a lot of criticism from Corinthians fans .

Eduardo Bandeira de Mello, ex-Flamengo, on Corinthians: "It's a matter of shame on your face"

As president during the beginning of the restructuring that transformed Flamengo into a sporting and financial powerhouse, Bandeira was blunt when commenting on the Corinthians situation: "It's much more a question of attitude, posture, and shame. What you need to do at Corinthians, what we did at Flamengo, can be learned in Financial Administration . There's nothing fancy about it," he said.

“POSTURE, RESPONSIBILITY AND CREDIBILITY”

According to Bandeira, the key to a turnaround lies in adopting basic management principles—something he believes Parque São Jorge currently lacks. For the former director, the pillars of reconstruction are simple: posture, responsibility, and credibility: " If you have these pillars, people believe . And trust is the starting point for any recovery," he added.

FANS AS OUR GREATEST ASSET

Bandeira also highlighted that the black and white team and Mengão share an asset that could be decisive in the rebuilding process: the strength of their fans. " For those with 30 million fans, nothing is impossible . The greatest asset of Flamengo, Corinthians, Vasco, Palmeiras... is their fans," he stated.

A CHASM BETWEEN REALITIES

Bandeira de Mello's statements gain even more weight given the contrast between the two clubs. Corinthians currently has a debt exceeding R$2 billion and is experiencing an internal political crisis . Flamengo, on the other hand, projects revenues close to that amount in 2025, the result of a management that, according to the former president, began with tough—but fundamental—decisions.