Flamengo entered the field on Thursday night. With a packed Maracanã, Tite's men played the first match of the Libertadores quarter-finals against Peñarol (URU). The objective was to play a good game and take an advantage for the return game, next week. In this sense, the Rio team

Summary

Peñarol started well and Peñarol soon showed that they would play on the red and black error. Therefore, the Uruguayans opened the scoring after 12 minutes, with Cabrera, in a counterattack. Soon after, Flamengo responded with Plata's header hitting the post. But the red and black team had difficulty creating chances. In the final stretch of the first half, Flamengo grew and had great opportunities to draw. Bruno Henrique, alone, headed over goalkeeper Aguerre, who also made a great save from Arrascaeta's shot.

In the second half, Flamengo came back even better, but came up against the strong Uruguayan marking and the lack of creativity to reach the opponent's goal. Tite moved the flanks, which gave Flamengo more speed, however, it had little effect due to a terrible night from Arrascaeta and De la Cruz.

What now?

With the result, Flamengo will need to win by at least two goals to guarantee one of the places in the Libertadores semi-finals. The match takes place in Uruguay, next Thursday. However, Fla needs to turn the key, because there is a Brazilian Championship game to play on the weekend. Tite's men face Grêmio, away from home, next Sunday, at 6:30 pm;

Last Wednesday (18), representatives from Flamengo and Caixa Econômica Federal held another meeting to resolve the impasse surrounding the Gasologista land, acquired by the club in July. The meeting had the support of Rio de Janeiro City Hall and the Attorney General's Office (AGU), and a new meeting scheduled for next week, in Brasília, could seal the definitive agreement. The information was released by journalist Diogo Dantas, from the newspaper "O Globo".

Mengão's board of directors, represented by president Rodolfo Landim, vice-general Rodrigo Dunshee, CEO Reinaldo Belotti and vice-president of equity Marcos Bodin, was optimistic about the possibility of a solution soon. Caixa questions the amount paid by the club at the land auction, but everything indicates that an additional amount could resolve the legal conflict by next month.

The meeting was also attended by deputy Pedro Paulo and the club's director of external relations, Cacau Cotta, who have acted as intermediaries between the club and the mayor from Rio, Eduardo Paes. In August, a meeting involving the bank's president, Carlos Vieira, president Lula and mayor Eduardo Paes had already signaled the path to an agreement.

Mais Querido's director of external relations, Cacau Cotta, highlighted that the agreement is the ideal way to give peace of mind to the club. "For the club, a good agreement is always better than an eternal discussion about values. The land has already been expropriated. The agreement is ideal to eliminate any doubts and for Flamengo to have the necessary peace of mind to begin the work", said Cotta.

The closing of the Brazilian Championship on December 6th had an unusual outcome: in addition to the match that saw São Paulo victorious over Flamengo 1-0, players from the Brazilian football elite elected, anonymously through a survey carried out by Uol Esporte, Arrascaeta as the most skilled player in the Brasileirão. On the other hand, Fagner, from Corinthians, was considered the most violent by his peers.

ARRASCAETA SHINE IN THE 2023 SEASON

At the end of the 2023 season, Arrascaeta, playing for Flamengo, competed 54 games, scoring 11 goals and providing 13 assists. With a direct participation in 24 of Mais Querido's goals, the number 14 accumulated 3,881 minutes on the field, wearing the Sacred Mantle. Despite a performance hampered by injuries throughout the season, Arrascaeta demonstrated his quality when he was on the field, contributing significantly to the team's performance.

For next year, the expectation is that the Uruguayan player will improve improve its performance. Last season was marked by physical challenges that limited his participation, but the athlete is looking to recover to contribute fully to Flamengo in 2024.

FLAMENGO IN SEARCH FOR REDEMPTION

Flamengo has closed the 2024 season without winning any trophies in seven tournaments played, including the Campeonato Brasileiro, Copa do Brasil, Libertadores and Carioca. Now, the fans and the team, led by Tite, are placing their hopes in Arrascaeta to boost the team's performance and seek redemption in the next challenges.

While Arrascaeta enjoys his well-deserved vacation, the player, who married civilly on December 19th, he is preparing for the wedding party with Camila Bastiani, scheduled for the 29th of this month, in Uruguay. The number 24 is scheduled to return to Flamengo on January 8th, at 2pm (Brasília time), to begin preparations for the next season.

The election of Arrascaeta's own colleagues as the most skilled player in the Campeonato Brasileiro highlights not only his skills on the field, but also the high esteem that his professional colleagues have for his talent. With the 2024 season approaching, the expectation is that Arrascaeta will continue to be a key player in Flamengo's quest for titles and achievements.