Jorginho on Flamengo red-card drama in Libertadores: “Heart in mouth”

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·21 September 2026

Jorginho on Flamengo red-card drama in Libertadores: “Heart in mouth”

Jorginho spoke for the first time after the red card against Independiente del Valle (ECU)

After qualifying for the Libertadores semifinal, Jorginho posted on social media apologizing for the red card against Independiente del Valle (ECU). This Sunday (20), after the 2-1 win over Bragantino, the midfielder spoke about the situation for the first time. Wearing the No. 21 shirt, he described the anguish he went through in the final moments of the match and also detailed the play that led to the second yellow card in Thursday’s (17) clash.

— Unfortunately, when Beijo (Ayrton Lucas) plays me the pass, I look at the ball, and it’s coming. When I lift my head to see the next play, the ball changes direction and ends up getting away from me. When it gets away, I raise my arm to shoulder height so I can gain position. When I gain position, their player lowers his head and I end up hitting him. So the referee chose to give the second yellow. He could have given the second yellow or not, but I ended up being a bit reckless in that moment — Jorginho began, in the mixed zone at the Maracanã.

— Afterward, you feel a way that’s impossible to explain when you go to the locker room alone, the tunnel empty, the locker room empty. And your heart in your throat. That’s when you really see the importance of unity, both in the group and the team, which sacrifices itself on the pitch. Then you really see how important the fans are, how they came together and pushed the team toward qualification. It was a difficult night, but even more magical, because it was beautiful to see. Unfortunately, I saw it from inside the locker room. I apologized to the team, I thanked every one of them, because you end up letting your teammates down. It’s something you never want to do. In the end, we got the qualification, which was the most important thing, and now we have to look ahead — Jorginho added.

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INTERNATIONAL BREAK

After a grueling run of matches, Jorginho and his Flamengo teammates will have a chance to rest. Their next match is only on October 8, against Santos, at Vila Belmiro. The break comes because of the FIFA international window, and the midfielder nearly got called up, as he was included in Italy’s preliminary squad.

— You have to look at the positive side. It’s a moment for us to recharge our energy. We’ve had a lot of matches with long trips, at altitude and all that. So it’s something we have to look at, because there are things to improve, things to work on. We’re going to train hard and recover our energy so we can come back from this FIFA window and continue on this winning path, which is very important at this stage of the year — said Jorginho.

— I didn’t speak directly with him (coach Roberto Mancini). The one who called me was (assistant coach Leonardo) Bonucci. The boss knows me, knows what I can bring and how I can help the Italian national team. I’ll always be cheering for them and, if the call comes, I’ll be ready — the midfielder concluded.

STILL TOP OF THE TABLE

With the 2-1 win over Bragantino, Flamengo remain top of the Brasileirão table, now with a three-point lead over second-place Palmeiras: 60 to 57. In addition, Mengão also have the edge in number of wins, 18 to 16. In other words, Rubro-Negro will enjoy the FIFA international break in the best way possible.

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