“It was my decision”: Zubeldía on Canobbio missing penalties

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·9 March 2026

“It was my decision”: Zubeldía on Canobbio missing penalties

After Fluminense’s defeat on penalties to Flamengo this Sunday, coach Zubeldía commented in the press conference about the choice of penalty takers in the shootout that decided the Campeonato Carioca title.

Full-back Guga and midfielder Otávio missed their penalties in the series, while forward Canobbio, who started the match, was not among the six penalty takers for Tricolor. Asked whether the Uruguayan had requested not to take a penalty, the coach was straightforward in his response.

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— No, the decision was mine — stated Zubeldía.

He went on to explain that the order of the penalty takers is based on what the coaching staff observes during the week’s training sessions and on the characteristics of the players who are on the field at the time of the decision.

— The choice of order is made based on what we see during the week, on the profile of the players we have on the field. When we choose one, people ask why not another, and these are normal things. Decisions are decisions, and I believe we did everything we could to compete at the highest level, but it wasn’t enough — he said.

The coach also commented on the search for a fixed penalty taker for Fluminense. According to him, some players can take on that responsibility depending on who is on the field.

— We will find one, we will find one. It’s certain that if Paulo (Ganso) or Savarino are on the field, they are players who can take penalties. Lucho could be another option. But, certainly, we will find one — he concluded.

Fluminense ended up defeated in the penalty shootout after a draw in regular time and finished as runners-up in the state championship.

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