Flamengo beats Vasco in the heart and in the touch of Vítor Pereira and is closer to the final

Flamengo is one draw away from qualifying for the Carioca Championship final. He regained the advantage and favoritism that were his before the start of the season on a night when he went after the result pushed by the crowd, more based on the heart than anything else. He beat Vasco by 3-2 and showed that, despite all the shortcomings that still exist at this point in the season, the flame for the titles is still there, burning in the heart of the locker room.

After all, he followed the result throughout the classic, full of alternations. He was not discouraged by the fact that Cruz-Maltino had opened the scoring and not even after the rival tied the game 2-2. Fabrício Bruno was the one who scored the winning goal, in a classic, which, if not technical terms, did not skimp on emotion.

For Sunday’s game, the scenario was reversed. Flamengo will play with the advantage of the tie, which previously belonged to Vasco, for having had a better campaign in the Guanabara Cup. The team from São Januário will have to look for victory to reach the decision against Fluminense or Volta Redonda.

Vasco is still alive

Around São Januário, obviously the feeling is bitter, however much the team has lost the fat it had. To top it off, the time to reflect on defeat will be very short. The team will play again on Thursday, against ABC, in Colina, for the second phase of the Copa do Brasil. Three days later, he will take the field again against his archrival.

At least coach Maurício Barbieri has an idea of ​​how to play better against Flamengo precisely because he has already done so. Maybe it’s better to resume the previous lineup, with a midfielder planted in front of the defense, in this case, Rodrigo.

This Monday, he left the team for Galarza to join, but what Vasco didn’t count on was Vítor Pereira’s willingness to give up his favorite form in favor of victory. In the coaches’ chess, the Portuguese clearly won at Maracanã.

old-fashioned flamingo

That’s because Vítor Pereira left aside attacks on the wings, excessive crosses, to give Flamengo the taste of attacking the way this group knows best, which is in the middle. He caught the Vasco coach on the wrong foot. Arrascaeta was one of the best on the field – he scored a great goal to tie the match and correct the mistake made by the red-black defenders, who delivered a goal on a tray to Gabriel Pec, in the 10th minute of the game.

Gabigol also did very well, moving to leave Pedro in a position to finish. Too bad for Flamengo that the number 9 did not have a very inspired night. He ended up needing massive help from Vasco to score the winning goal. Manuel Capasso missed the ball in an inexplicable way and the striker of the selection in the Qatar Cup did not forgive: 2 to 1.

On Vasco’s side, the strategy of counterattacking, which worked in the first game between the teams, for the Guanabara Cup, even proved to be correct. However, he often bumped into Pedro Raul’s uninspired night. Soon he, who in the victory in the last classic, made a great match. This time, the number 9 shirt made a lot of mistakes in decision making, it was hungry in bids that asked for more solidarity.

When he managed to correct this, Vasco tied the match again. Alex Teixeira launched a counterattack, played for Pedro Raul, who was open, and ran towards the penalty area, surrounded by four defenders. Even so, the cross came and the number 7 dived to make it 2-2 at Maracanã.

The classic continued open, but with Flamengo closer to victory. She came, with Fabrício Bruno’s header. The goal set fire to Maracanã, which received more than 45,000 fans on a Monday night.

In the final minutes, with a bunch of youngsters on the field and more Nenê, Vasco sketched a timid pressure. The heart of Flamengo prevailed, which won moved by the heart and yes with the merits of Vítor Pereira.