Leonardo Jardim's telling-off after Flamengo's late goal v Cruzeiro | OneFootball

Flamengo coach said Flamengo must stop giving opponents so many counterattacks

Flamengo and Cruzeiro faced each other again for the third time in ten days. This time, the teams met in the 24th round of the Brazilian Championship, and the Minas Gerais side came out on top, winning 2-1 in comeback fashion. After the match, coach Leonardo Jardim analyzed the Rubro-Negro performance, which suffered a “blackout” in the second half of the clash.

— We started well, creating chances, and could have scored more than one goal. Then we couldn’t keep the ball and manage the fatigue. We ended up conceding the equalizer in a very similar way to what happened in the Libertadores. We gave away too many counterattacks, too much space, and we lacked maturity -, he said, before adding:

— In the situation of the goal, we had the ball in our favor to move it around, but we gave the ball to the opponent. Let it serve as an example for us. We cannot allow, after starting the game well, the opponent to react -, Leonardo Jardim concluded in a press conference.

What happened?

In short, Flamengo opened the scoring with Pedro still in the first half. However, in the second half, the Rubro-Negro side suffered a real “blackout.” As a result, Arroyo scored the equalizer in the 9th minute of the second half.

However, it was in stoppage time, in the 49th minute, that Cruzeiro turned the match around with Matheus Pereira. Right at the death, the player made it 2-1. With that, Flamengo missed a big chance to at least go to sleep at the top of the Brasileirão table.

What is Flamengo’s situation in the standings?

With the loss to Cruzeiro, Flamengo remained on 45 points in the Brasileirão table, meaning they have three fewer than Palmeiras. However, the São Paulo side takes the field this Sunday (23) when they face Vasco.

That means Palmeiras could open up a six-point lead over Flamengo, with one more game played. To do so, all Abel Ferreira’s team needs to do is beat Vasco, who are currently in the relegation zone. 

What is Flamengo’s next match?

Out of the Copa do Brasil, Flamengo will only return to the field next weekend. So, on Sunday (30), the Most Beloved faces Botafogo starting at 4 p.m. (Brasília time). The clash, valid for the 25th round of the Brasileirão, will take place at the Maracanã.

It is important to mention that the Rio derby will be broadcast live by Rede Globo on free-to-air TV. In addition, GE TV, on YouTube, and Premiere, on pay-per-view, will also show the Flamengo vs. Botafogo match. Finally, Coluna do Fla will follow every detail of the game through its website, social media, and YouTube channel.

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