Expert questions ref over Cruzeiro red after elbow on Flamengo's Paquetá | OneFootball

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Expert questions ref over Cruzeiro red after elbow on Flamengo's Paquetá | OneFootball

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Coluna do Fla

·23 August 2026

Expert questions ref over Cruzeiro red after elbow on Flamengo's Paquetá

Article image:Expert questions ref over Cruzeiro red after elbow on Flamengo's Paquetá

What happened between Lucas Paquetá and Lucas Romero?

Flamengo fans were furious with referee Rodrigo José Pereira de Lima after Cruzeiro’s 2-1 win this Saturday (22). That’s because Lucas Paquetá was elbowed by Lucas Romero, but the Cruzeiro player was not sent off. As a result, refereeing expert Paulo Caravina criticized both the referee and the VAR team.

“In the 20th minute of the second half, Romero, Cruzeiro’s defensive midfielder, hits Paquetá, Flamengo’s attacking midfielder, away from the play. And maybe because it happened away from the play, the referee didn’t see it. But there’s no way VAR could have reviewed this and thought it was normal. I can see that after Paquetá loses the ball, Romero looks at him and already braces his movement to stop the Flamengo midfielder from getting past, and even leaves his foot a little higher there, without hitting Paquetá. Paquetá then raises his arm and kind of steps in as if to chest-bump the Cruzeiro midfielder, who, when he feels that Paquetá touched him, raises his arm to hit Paquetá. In other words, there is a clear upward motion there to strike his opponent, and he catches him with his elbow around the Flamengo player’s chin,” said Paulo Caravina.

What happened between Paquetá and Romero?

In the 22nd minute of the second half, Lucas Romero hit Paquetá with an elbow away from the ball, and the Flamengo midfielder fell to the ground. Far from the play, referee Rodrigo José Pereira de Lima did not call a foul, let alone send off Cruzeiro’s midfielder.

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In addition, Gilberto Rodrigues Castro Junior, who was in charge of VAR for the match, did not call the referee over to review the incident. As a result, Lucas Romero went unpunished for the elbow on Paquetá.

How was the Flamengo vs Cruzeiro match?

Even playing away from home, Flamengo dominated Cruzeiro in the first half and opened the scoring in the 22nd minute through Pedro. In addition, Carrascal and the number 9 himself missed chances to extend Rubro-Negro’s lead.

However, Leonardo Jardim’s team could not keep up the same pace in the second half and saw Cruzeiro grow into the match. The Minas Gerais side equalized in the 10th minute through Arroyo. Finally, in the closing moments of the game, Matheus Pereira completed the comeback.

What is Flamengo’s next match?

Flamengo will now have a week without matches because of the Copa do Brasil quarterfinals. Leonardo Jardim’s team returns to the field next Sunday (30), when they face Botafogo at 4:00 p.m. (Brasília time) at the Maracanã, for the 25th round of the Brasileirão.

As tradition dictates, Coluna do Fla brings you all the details of Flamengo’s 2026 season. So stay tuned to the website, social media, and YouTube. In addition, Globo (free-to-air), GE TV (YouTube), and Premiere (pay-per-view) will broadcast the match against Botafogo.

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

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