In a game marked by confusion and uncertainty before the ball rollsO Flamengo did his homework today (5), at the premiere of Liberators cup. With goals from Bruno Henrique and Matheuzinho, the team beat Sporting Cristal by 2 to 0, at the Nacional stadium, in Lima (PER), and started off with the right foot in the competition.
After hours of tension due to the curfew imposed by Pedro Castillo, president of Peru, the Flamengo delegation was informed about maintenance of the game minutes before the ball rolled. The match was even cancelled, but Conmebol stepped in, negotiated with the local authorities and managed to confirm that the duel would take place behind closed doors.
On the field, Rubro-Negro was not brilliant in Peru, but they did enough to impose their superiority two days after losing the title to Carioca. The team played a solid game defensively, but again showed little creative power. In times of crisis at the club, the result was seen as fundamental for the return of calmer days.
After debuting in the continental tournament, Fla turns its attention to the Brazilian. On Saturday (9), the team visits the Atlético-GO7pm, at Antônio Accioly
Who did well: Bruno Henrique reappears
After recent bad games, Bruno Henrique returned to be the protagonist. With more field to play on the left side, Bruno had more space to face the defenders and did well. The attacker didn’t need to have as many defensive obligations and was able to use his best weapons. In the opening goal, he positioned himself as a legitimate striker to score.
Who was wrong: Gabigol can’t find the way to the nets
—Image: ERNESTO BENAVIDES / AFP
Flamengo’s top scorer in the history of Liberators (22 goals), Gabigol was a very unremarkable figure in Lima. The player resented the lack of ammunition from a midfielder who did not produce much offensively and tried to move to participate in the game.
Ups and downs: Thiago Maia comes back and oscillates
Starting for the first time since February 2nd, Thiago Maia was selected again from the start and alternated good and bad moments. The steering wheel was imprecise in the passes and proved to be clearly out of rotation. Faced with a team that offered little resistance, he could have occupied more of the opposing field and accelerated the ball.
Flamengo: another lackluster performance
—Image: Staff images /CONMEBOL
Defensively, Fla didn’t take great risks against Cristal, but the team once again showed a very poor repertoire of ideas to overcome a clearly fragile team. Coach Paulo Sousa opted for a formation with three midfielders, with Andreas Pereira playing a more offensive role in this threesome.
The team showed some intensity in the initial stage, but fell sharply in the second half, allowing the rival to roam more around their field. In times of much contestation, a victory that brings a little peace, but keeps questions about performance.
Crystal: fragility and few ideas
—Image: Staff images /CONMEBOL
The hosts did not pose any real danger to Flamengo, who could have had an easier life if they had accelerated a little more. Cristal offered many spaces in the back and Fla found it easy to gain ground. With Liza isolated, the Peruvians created little and took danger only in finishing Avila who was saved by Hugo.
Goals chronology
In the 21st minute of the first half, Matheuzinho found an excellent cross and Bruno Henrique hit to score. At 41 of the second half, Lázaro found Matheuzinho, who hit cross to close the score.
silent cauldron
With the determination behind closed doors, Flamengo got rid of the noise of a crowd that had already bought about 50% of the ticket load. With no fans at Nacional, the game took on an air of soccer in times of a pandemic, when games were held behind closed doors, just like today.
Fla 150
Tonight’s game marked the 150th match of Rubro-Negro in Libertadores. So far, the team has 81 wins, 33 draws and 36 losses. The club lifted the cups in 1981 and 2019. Last year, Fla took the runner-up.
DATASHEET:
SPORTING CRYSTAL 0 x 2 FLAMENGO Competition: Copa Libertadores – First round of Group H Local: National Stadium in Lima (PER) Date and time: April 5, 2022 (Tuesday), at 21:30 (Brasília time) Referee: Jhon Ospina (COL) Assistants: Alexander Guzman (COL) and Wilmar Navarro (COL) goals: Bruno Henrique, in the 21st minute of the first half; Matheuzinho, in the 41st minute of the second half Yellow cards: Thiago Maia, Willian Arão, Matheuzinho (FLA); Merlo (SPO) Red cards:-
CRYSTAL SPORTING: Duarte; Madrid, Chavez, Merlo and Loyola; Sosa (Távara), Calcaterra, Castillo, Gonzales and Ávila (Pacheco); Liza. Technical: Roberto Mosquera
FLAMENGO: Hugo Souza; Matheuzinho, Gustavo Henrique, David Luiz, Filipe Luís (Léo Pereira); Willian Arão (Matheus França), Andreas Pereira, Thiago Maia (João Gomes) and Éverton Ribeiro (Lázaro); Bruno Henrique and Gabigol (Pedro). Technical: Paulo Sousa
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