Lucky! Flamengo decides one of the places in the final of the Copa do Brasil against Corinthians away from home

Grêmio will not have defender Jemerson for the game with Flamengo, on Sunday, at 6:30 pm, at the Arena. Although he only received one yellow card with the Tricolor shirt in the Brazilian Championship, the player already had two for Atlético-MG and is suspended for the match.

The defender would already be in doubt, because he left the draw with the Red Bull Bragantino with muscle discomfort precisely in the same place where he had suffered an injury. Although it was just a precaution, the player did not participate in any of the week's activities.

In addition to Jemerson's absence, defender Rodrigo Ely is also a problem, as he felt pain again, still during the warm-up. of the game with Bragantino. The defender did not appear in training in the same way.

On the other hand, Grêmio once again has defenders Gustavo Martins and Kannemann, who were suspended over the weekend. The duo may even return to work together at the Arena. Rodrigo Caio, Geromel and Natã are the options for the sector.

Another absence will be coach Renato Portaluppi, who will serve the second game of his punishment from the Superior Court of Sports Justice (STJD) and does not command the team. With the departure of Alexandre Mendes, who was being investigated on suspicion of violence against women, Marcelo Salles or James Freitas will be the coaches.

Goalkeeper for Peñarol and Flamengo's executioner, Washington Aguerre did not hide his happiness at commanding the victory away from home, he praised the celebration of the Montevideo team's fans and took the opportunity to provoke the Rio team. In the first game of the quarter-finals of the Copa Libertadores, Rubro-Negro was defeated by Carboneros 1-0, this Thursday (19), at Maracanã.

- Win at Maracanã, in this stadium with All of its history and tradition is very important, but we know that we are not classified. We are very happy, with the fans singing, it was very beautiful. With the stadium silent, with all due respect, listening to the Peñarol fans was very exciting - said Aguirre, in a post-game press conference.

On the field, Diego Aguirre managed to succeed in his strategy against Tite, scored an early goal, while the Rio team found it difficult to create. With just two good chances in the initial stage, with Bruno Henrique and Arrascaeta, Rubro-Negro went to the break amidst boos.

In addition to the four lines, the Carboneros also gave a class in the stands, albeit in minority. The fans arrived in around 30 buses, escorted by the Military Police of the State of Rio de Janeiro, and managed to enter Maracanã before the ball rolled to welcome their athletes.

Now, Flamengo once again faces the Peñarol next Thursday (26), at 7pm (Brasília time), in a decisive clash and qualifying for a place in the Libertadores semi-final. In the event of a one-goal victory, the place will be decided by a penalty shootout.

Flamengo disappointed its fans last Thursday night. That's because they lost to Peñarol, in a packed Maracanã by 1x0 and now they need to reverse the result there in Uruguay, next week, to pass the Libertadores semifinals. In this sense, journalist Renato Maurício Prado, detonated who, for him, is largely to blame for the red and black phase.

For RMP, Tite is largely responsible for a millionaire Flamengo, not being able to play good football and for this reason, he declared in his column that the coach should be fired before the return game. 

RMP's column follows in full:

"It won't happen, as it didn't happen with Jorge Sampaoli, after the defeat in the first game of the Copa do Brasil final, also at Maracanã, against Dorival Júnior's São Paulo. And, most likely, as it was that time, Flamengo will lose their place - last year, they lost the title.

Rodolfo Landim, he's not in the business. , belittled the achievements of Jorge Jesus, who won the Brasileiro and the Libertadores in the same season (something unheard of in the era of straight points). of a corpse, who continues to know absolutely nothing about the world of football.

Because of this ignorance and the unshakable alliance with Marcos Braz, he is heading towards the second consecutive season without significant titles and towards defeat in the Flamengo elections, at the end of the year. When the ball doesn't go in, forget it: the situation doesn't win. And there is no stadium capable of reversing such a downward trend, already detected by the polls.

Even for Flamengo. traditional Fla-Nelinha group (the one that loves to rub shoulders with coaches and managers) is finding it difficult to defend Professor Adenor's work. The shallow argument that he was still alive after three competitions is becoming a trap. By the way the carriage is going, he will soon be dead in all three. So, what will they say?

The fact is that, with almost a year of work at the head of the most expensive squad on the continent, Tite was unable to put together a solid team, one that conveys confidence and gives pleasure to his team. fans. Watching Flamengo's games, for the red and black, became an exercise in masochism.

In the defeat to Peñarol, it was no different. Yes, it's true that some of their most talented players had subpar individual performances (notably De La Cruz, who gave the impression that he wasn't ready to return to the field yet).

But what Was it Tite's tactical plan, if there was one? Diego Aguirre washed it down with fried porridge. Believing that the return game, at the Campeón del Siglo, will be different (as Tite predicted, in the post-game interview) is almost like believing in the Easter Bunny, Santa Claus and the Headless Mule.

The Flamengo has not won a Libertadores match away from home since the thrashing of Velez in 2022. Under the command of Dorival Júnior. Who was sent away, despite having won the main competition on the continent and, as a bonus, the Copa do Brasil.

After almost six years in charge of the most popular club in Brazil, Rodolfo Landim continues to ask "who is it the ball"?"