It is possible to look at the glass half full or half empty; you decide – 08/12/2023 – Juca Kfouri

Fluminense, Internacional and Palmeiras: three Brazilians among the eight qualified for the quarterfinals of the Copa Libertadores of America.

America, Botafogo, Corinthians, Fortaleza and São Paulo: five Brazilians among the eight qualified for the South American Cup.

It is no small feat if we consider that the world champion country has only two survivors in the Libertadores. And they will kill each other: Racing and Boca Juniors.

Also in the South American, only two representatives of Argentina, Defensa y Justicia and Estudiantes, opponents of Botafogo and Corinthians, respectively.

The half-full cup of the biggest continental tournament has Internacional as the author of the best feat, by eliminating River Plate. And the way he eliminated it.

Nothing else was expected from Fluminense, nor from Palmeiras, although more was expected from Atlético Mineiro.

Palmeiras has an open path to the semifinals, when they will have either Racing or Boca ahead of them. Because, let’s face it, the Colombian Deportivo Pereira has already gone too far and has a sweet taste for alviverde.

The tasks of Inter, against Bolivar, and Fluminense, against Olímpia, are much more complicated.

In Sula, it’s fair to say that América surprised, with a spectacularly dramatic classification due to the circumstances against Bragantino.

The rest had to reach at least the quarterfinals and it is reasonable that they populate the semifinals with Botafogo x São Paulo and Corinthians x Fortaleza or América, despite Estudiantes being the toughest foreign opponent to be overcome.

The empty cup must be relativized, because there are disappointments and disappointments.

Athletico’s permanence was expected, but the defeat by two goals at the altitude of La Paz complicated life for Paraná and the fall on penalties, in the last kick, by captain Thiago Heleno, on the crossbar, is one of those defeats that saddens more than disappoints.

The fall of the other Atlético was disappointing because of Minas Gerais’ inability to attack Palmeiras after being defeated in the Mineirão. Hence, crying over a non-existent penalty is typical.

But disappointment with a capital D, frustration with a capital F according to typographic jargon, was Flamengo’s.

Not that Olímpia, as three-time continental champions as the Red-Black team, is an easy opponent, especially when they can decide at home, in the dreaded Defensores del Chaco.

It turns out that Flamengo played badly in the crowded Maracanã and even worse in Assunção, with a stadium no less full.

He allowed himself the luxury of taking the lead in seven minutes and taking more than the comeback, being defeated without the right to even experience the suffering of the dispute at the penalty spot.

During the entire first half, he only finished once, with Bruno Henrique’s goal, and then let himself be dominated by the club’s team, which spends a month, with the entire squad, the same as Gávea pays for four of its stars.

The ball doesn’t go in by chance taught the Catalan bible from ages ago and that not even Barcelona was able to follow it to the letter, quite the contrary.

Money in hand is a whirlwind, teaches Paulinho da Viola, much wiser from Vasco da Gama.

The currency that runs in abundance in Flamengo ended up producing an environment that was not very competitive, with moods more like seesaws than podiums, capable of even automatically winning cups when the rival is inferior, but also of turning the emptiest glass of the season.

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