Cruzeiro boss admits Flamengo were better in Libertadores, hails squad | OneFootball

Artur Jorge acknowledged that the Minas Gerais team was unable to overcome Flamengo in the two Round of 16 matches

Flamengo eliminated Cruzeiro in the Round of 16 of the Libertadores and advanced in the competition after winning the tie 3-2 on aggregate. Months after the clashes, coach Artur Jorge acknowledged that the Minas Gerais side was unable to be better than Rubro-Negro in the matchup.

— We, Cruzeiro, and I, as the leader, were not able to be superior to Flamengo in the Libertadores. Period. We weren’t, because despite fighting hard and playing two matches, we lost to Flamengo 3-2. We drew 1-1 at home and lost 2-1 away. Here (in Belo Horizonte), it was a close result, and perhaps in terms of what happened, especially in the match there (in Rio), we were more dominated in the first half —, Artur Jorge began, in an interview with Charla Podcast.

ARTUR JORGE HIGHLIGHTS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE SQUADS

Next, the Portuguese coach also analyzed the difference between the Flamengo and Cruzeiro squads. According to Artur Jorge, Rubro-Negro currently has more options for the coach to work with during matches.

— But that is also part of how we strategically set ourselves up on the pitch. We have to know that we were not playing alone. Flamengo has great strength, with a deeper squad than Cruzeiro has today —, the Portuguese coach pointed out.

In addition, Artur Jorge used the substitutions made by Flamengo in the first leg at Mineirão to illustrate the strength of the Rubro-Negro squad. On that occasion, coach Filipe Luís brought Pedro and Paquetá onto the field during the match.

COACH RECALLS CRUZEIRO'S WIN IN THE BRASILEIRÃO

Despite admitting Flamengo’s superiority in the continental knockout tie, Artur Jorge stressed that Cruzeiro had the conditions to compete. The coach even recalled that the Minas Gerais team managed to beat Rubro-Negro in the Brazilian Championship just a few days later.

— In the Mineirão match, Flamengo made substitutions by bringing on Pedro and Paquetá, two Brazil national team players. But that does not justify the result, because we are capable. Proof of that is that we won the Brasileirão match ten days later —, the coach added.

Thus, the coach reinforced that Cruzeiro did not consider itself inferior to Flamengo in every aspect. For Artur Jorge, the context and squad strength weighed heavily in the Libertadores tie, while the Minas Gerais team was able to show its quality by defeating Rubro-Negro in the Brasileirão.

The elimination came after a 1-1 draw at Mineirão and a 2-1 defeat at Maracanã. As a result, Flamengo secured qualification for the next stage of the Libertadores. In the quarterfinals, Mengão had already beaten Independiente del Valle (ECU) and is now preparing for the semifinals against Estudiantes (ARG).

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