Martinelli hails Fluminense win with ten men in Carioca semi-final | OneFootball

Fluminense showed strength and defeated Vasco in the first leg of the Carioca Championship semifinal. The classic took place this Sunday at Nilton Santos.

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Midfielder Martinelli praised the performance of the Tricolores, who played half of the second half with one player less after Bernal was sent off.

“We knew it would be a very tough game. A classic. A field we’re not used to playing on. We played very well in the first half. We could have scored more goals. After the sending off, it gets difficult, but we managed to hold the result well. I believe they didn’t have good chances to score. We’re going to rest because there’s more on Wednesday and then the return match,” said Martinelli.

Martinelli admitted that the play that led to Bernal’s sending off cannot be repeated. 

“It was a lapse in concentration on our part. We can’t make these mistakes. There can’t be anyone left over. It was everyone’s mistake. The ball bounced and fell to them. Bernal did the right thing, he had to stop the play. We can’t make these mistakes anymore. We need to fix these details,” he declared.

Fluminense only needs a draw next Sunday at Maracanã to reach another State Championship final. Before that, the Tricolores face Palmeiras at Allianz Parque, which could mark the team’s reunion with midfielder Arias.

*By Gazeta Press

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.