NO TIME TO BREATHE! SAMPAOLI WILL ONLY HAVE A FULL CAST FOR 1 TRAINING BEFORE RECEIVING GÊMIO

Flamengo 's captain in the classic against Vasco , Gerson spoke to the press after the 0-0 draw , this Saturday (19), at Maracanã. The number 8 valued the red-black performance and highlighted the performance of the opposing goalkeeper, Léo Jardim, as decisive in preventing the team's victory.

We tried to score the goal the whole time."

“Congratulations to him, he did very well today . We tried to score the whole time. I tried with a header, a shot that went wide, then Pedro and Cebola. Congratulations to the team for the performance , always trying to maintain our rhythm of play for 90 minutes,” he said.

Despite dominating the field, Flamengo was unable to score. The team had 65% possession and shot 17 times , compared to just six attempts by Vasco. However, they were hampered by Léo Jardim's good performance and a lack of offensive effectiveness.

ROMÁRIO PRAISES GERSON: "HE SHOULD BE A STARTER IN THE NATIONAL TEAM"

During the broadcast, commentator Romário chose Gerson as the best player on the pitch for the red-black team. The former striker praised the midfielder's performance and even defended his starting spot in the Brazilian National Team . Gerson, in turn, reciprocated with reverence.

“There are no comparisons (laughs), there is no way. I saw him at the end of his career and it was already sinister. With him, there is no way, it is him and it is over . (...) I thank him and salute him because he is sinister”, said the number 8.

FILIPE LUÍS ENDORSES ANALYSIS AND REGRETS THE RESULT

In the post-match press conference, coach Filipe Luís reinforced Gerson's speech. The coach praised the team's performance in the derby and lamented the draw , highlighting the chances created and the team's intensity throughout the 90 minutes.

It's a bad feeling, Flamengo enters the field to win every game"

“Of course I expected to win the game, but we know that a derby is never easy . There is a mental component and the fans that affect it a lot. It becomes a much more aggressive and intense game. It is a bad feeling, Flamengo goes onto the field to win every game. For my part, I wanted to have won”, assessed Filipe Luís.

Filipe also acknowledged responsibility for the result and stated that he could have made different choices, despite believing in the team's superiority and ensuring that if he had achieved victory, there would be no time for questioning .

“If Pedro had scored the last goal, we wouldn’t be talking about it this way (lack of goals). Whenever something goes wrong, I go with option 1, the coach. I could have done more,” concluded the coach.

FlaBasquete is back on the world stage. On Saturday night (19), at Maracanãzinho, Flamengo beat Boca Juniors 83-27 and won the Basketball Champions League Americas (BCLA) 2024/25 title . With the continental title, Rubro-Negro secured a spot in the FIBA Club World Cup, which will be played in Singapore in the second half of this year.

TOWARDS THE THIRD WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

Two-time champion of the tournament among continental champions , Flamengo will be looking for its third world title. FIBA has not yet confirmed the dates of the competition , but, if it follows the pattern of recent years, the tournament should take place in September .

FlaBasquete has already won the World Cup in 2014 and 2022 , both times after winning the main continental competition. The club also played in the 2019 edition as a representative of the host country and finished as runner-up .

INTERCLUB WORLD CUP FORMAT

The FIBA Intercontinental Cup features six teams: the champions of the major continental leagues — the Americas , Europe and Africa — plus an Asian team, the NBA G-League champion or invitee, and a representative of the host country . The teams are divided into two groups, with round-robin matches within each group.

The leaders of each group advance to the grand final , while the second-placed teams compete for third place and the last-placed teams fight for fifth place.

FLAMENGO'S WORLD TITLES

2014 — Rio de Janeiro

In the old format, the title was decided in two games between the champions of the Americas and Europe . Flamengo faced Maccabi Tel Aviv at the HSBC Arena, losing the first game 69–66 and winning the second 90–77, thus winning the title by an aggregate score of 156–146 .

Game 1: Maccabi Tel Aviv 69 x 66 Flamengo

Game 2: Flamengo 90 x 77 Maccabi Tel Aviv

2022 — Cairo, Egypt

In the format closest to the current one, with four participants, Mengão beat Lakeland Magic (G-League champion) in the semifinal by 94 to 71. In the final, they beat San Pablo Burgos (Spain) by 75 to 62, with a solid defensive performance.

Semifinal: Flamengo 94 x 71 Lakeland Magic

Final: Flamengo 75 x 62 San Pablo Burgos

The classic between Flamengo and Vasco, valid for the 5th round of the 2025 Brazilian Championship, ended in a goalless draw this Saturday (19), at Maracanã. Despite the large audience and the expectation of a more intense game, the duel was marked by few dangerous finishes and lackluster performances by key players, such as striker Michael, who started for Mais Querido.

MICHAEL'S PERFORMANCE IS QUESTIONED BY THE FANS

During the 60 minutes he was on the field, the number 19 played an active role in the game , being used quite a lot. However, the performance did not please the red-black fans. The main criticism was for the lack of effectiveness in the offensive plays and for wasting a clear chance to score, when he was face to face with goalkeeper Léo Jardim and finished poorly.

SUBSTITUTION AT 15 MINUTES IN THE SECOND HALF

Michael was replaced by Everton Cebolinha midway through the second half, after a series of inconclusive plays and a drop in performance. The change made by coach Filipe Luís did not go unnoticed and sparked debates on social media about the player's performance and his starting position on the team. The fans' dissatisfaction was evident on social media.

Many fans have asked that the striker no longer start, claiming that his decisions on the field compromise the team's offensive progress. "He broke every attacking play while he was on the field today," commented one fan on X (formerly Twitter), reflecting the frustration of a large part of the red-black crowd.

Known by the nickname “Robozinho” since his first stint at the club , Michael returned to Mengão with high expectations, especially for his speed and ability to break lines. However, against Vasco, he had difficulty maintaining consistency and once again raised doubts about his condition to be one of the protagonists in the red-black attack.