Flat Fluminense draw with Operário-PR in Copa do Brasil first leg | OneFootball

Fluminense were held to a 0-0 draw by Operário Ferroviário on Thursday night in the first leg of the fifth round of the Copa do Brasil. The match was played at Germano Krüger Stadium in Ponta Grossa, Paraná.

The first half had few exciting moments. With a heavily changed lineup, Fluminense struggled to create in attack and rarely threatened goalkeeper Vágner. Just five minutes in, head coach Luis Zubeldía had a headache to deal with: defensive midfielder Matheus Martinelli felt pain in his left thigh adductor and had to be replaced by Otávio.

In the second half, the game remained tight and physical. Operário’s best chance came in the 9th minute, when Boschilia fired a shot after a good passing move. Fluminense improved slightly after the substitutions, trying to exploit counterattacks, but continued to be wasteful in front of goal.

The clearest chance of the match fell to Fluminense in the 43rd minute: after a cross from Arana, Samuel Xavier found himself unmarked and hit it first time, but failed to connect properly and squandered the opportunity.

With neither side showing much attacking inspiration, the score stayed goalless until the final whistle in Ponta Grossa.

With the 0-0 draw, the place in the round of 16 remains completely open. The decider will be played on May 12 at the Maracanã. Another draw by any score will send the tie to penalties.

Fluminense return to action next Sunday at 8:30 p.m., when they face Chapecoense at the Maracanã in the Brazilian Championship.

Photo: Marcelo Gonçalves/FFC

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