Samuel Lino criticizes refereeing in Flamengo's draw against Grêmio

Despite the 1-1 draw between Flamengo and Grêmio at the Maracanã in the 22nd round of the Brasileirão, Samuel Lino had a special reason to celebrate. The striker was called up to the Brazilian national team for the first time , following the injury of Manchester United's Matheus Cunha.

" When I got the news, I was very happy. I was surprised, because I wasn't expecting it. I want to make the most of it; I'm expecting it to be a great time, and I'll learn a lot, " the player declared after the match.

WHY SAMUEL LINO WON THE VACANCY

Samuel Lino 's call-up was due to Matheus Cunha's injury, which meant he would miss the next few matches. Coach Carlo Ancelotti decided to opt for the Mais Querido forward , who will have a chance to play for the national team in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Chile and Bolivia.

On the field, the match ended in a draw. The Rio de Janeiro team's goal was scored by Arrascaeta, following an assist from Pedro . The Rio Grande do Sul team equalized late on with a penalty kick converted by goalkeeper Thiago Volpi after a deflected ball hit Ayrton Lucas's arm.

FLAMENGO WILL HAVE A BREAK IN THE BRAZILIAN CHAMPIONSHIP

The calendar is now paused for the FIFA World Cup. Mengão's next match will be on September 14th, against Juventude at Alfredo Jaconi Stadium. The Rio Grande do Sul club sits in 17th place, but is riding high after a victory over Ceará and promises to make life difficult for the Brazilian Championship leader.

Following the 1-1 draw with Grêmio in the 22nd round of the Brazilian Championship , football director José Boto responded to questions about potential reinforcements for the Mais Querido. According to the director, the club is satisfied with the squad assembled so far and is unlikely to make any further moves in the transfer market.

" The window is still open, until the 2nd. We don't have any plans to bring anyone else, but you never know because the market is volatile; an opportunity, a good deal, might arise. But, in principle, it's closed. I don't even think we have... in Portugal we say that too much water kills the plant, and I think we have enough water," declared José Boto at the Maracanã.

WHICH PLAYERS DOES RUBRO-NEGRO

During this window, the club had already made significant moves, securing the arrival of defensive midfielder Jorginho, midfielder Saúl Ñíguez, forward Samuel Lino, midfielder Jorge Carrascal, and right-back Emerson Royal. Prior to this, striker Juninho had been announced as a reinforcement earlier in the year.

With this scenario, the tendency is that the current cast will be maintained , except for any sales proposals that may arise until the closing of the window, scheduled for next Tuesday (02).

BRAZILIAN CHAMPIONSHIP BREAK FOR FIFA DATES

With the end of the round, the Brazilian Championship goes on a two-week break due to FIFA dates. Flamengo returns to action on September 14th, against Juventude, in Caxias do Sul. The match presents a historic challenge, as the team hasn't won at Alfredo Jaconi Stadium in almost three decades.

Flamengo drew 1-1 with Grêmio this Sunday (31), in the 22nd round of the Brazilian Championship. Rubro-Negro opened the scoring with Arrascaeta, but conceded the equalizer in the final minutes, after a penalty was awarded in a play involving Ayrton Lucas. After the match, coach Filipe Luís explained the decision to field the full-back as a starter.

" After Red Bull Bragantino, Viña played against Atlético-MG in the Brazilian Championship, and Ayrton played in the Copa do Brasil. They're both doing very well. Alex Sandro returned against Inter in the Libertadores, and Ayrton played against them in the Brazilian Championship. For me, the competition is fierce. The level is very high. Ayrton had a spectacular performance against Inter ," he declared.

" He didn't start against Vitória because he had a family issue. At the level he's playing, it's difficult to choose. I chose the option I thought was best for the win. All three remain very good options for the coach to choose from and have a high-level full-back ," Filipe Luís added.

DISPUTE ON THE LEFT SIDE

Against Grêmio, Filipe Luís had Ayrton Lucas and Matías Viña as options, opting to start the Brazilian while the Uruguayan was on the bench. Alex Sandro, another key player in the position, was unable to play due to a left calf muscle injury.

PENALTY KICK DEFINED THE TIE

The match at Maracanã looked set for a Flamengo victory after Arrascaeta's goal. However, in the 40th minute of the second half, a direct pass from Noriega found Pavón , who advanced down the left and ended up creating the decisive move: as he attempted a dribble, the ball hit Ayrton Lucas's arm inside the box. The referee awarded a penalty, which goalkeeper Volpi converted, making the match a 1-1 draw.