After the defeat on penalties for Corinthians in the Copa do Brasil final, the former player Neto let off steam and said he was “sad to death”. In his comment to Rádio Craque Neto, he mainly addressed inquiries to experienced players who did not show up for penalties and to members of the board.
“Gil could have hit him, Balbuena could have hit him. It wasn’t supposed to be Mateus Vital [a cobrar um dos pênaltis]. The more experienced players have to take over, not the guy who has no morale and will never start. I’m sorry, but it wasn’t Mateus who beat him, “he explained.” The Corinthians had everything at Fagner’s feet, who should have focused more on that, “he corrected.
Neto also cited leaders as responsible for the defeat, such as coach Alessandro Nunes [ex-lateral] and the director of soccer Roberto de Andrade.
“Alessandro’s fault, he should be expelled today. Roberto de Andrade, sent Roberto away too, if I were Duílio Monteiro Alves. Since I’m not, I don’t have that power. They both had to be removed,” he commented.
As for the Flamengo side, Neto praised the work of coach Dorival Júnior and the overcoming of the Rodinei squad, who suffered a lot of criticism at the Rio club but was responsible for the deciding goal on Wednesday night. Even so, Fiel’s idol highlighted Corinthians’ good football in the Maracanã final, especially in the second half.
“The Corinthians broke it in the second half,” Neto said. “The Corinthians sought a draw, they managed to equalize the game, they played much more than Flamengo”, he added.
Now, Neto is hoping Corinthians will be able to keep manager Vitor Pereira for the 2023 season. “It’s worth believing in the work. For me, Vitor Pereira made a mistake in the first half, but then he changed,” he said.
