Matheus Pereira slams VAR, 'row' with Jorginho in Flamengo v Cruzeiro

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Coluna do Fla

·20 August 2026

Matheus Pereira slams VAR, 'row' with Jorginho in Flamengo v Cruzeiro

What did Cruzeiro midfielder Matheus Pereira say after the match against Flamengo?

In Flamengo’s 2-1 win over Cruzeiro, Jorginho managed to clear a ball off the line, preventing a goal for the team from Minas Gerais. After the match, midfielder Matheus Pereira disagreed with the VAR decision on the play, saying that he saw the ball go in at the Maracanã.

– The game can’t be summed up only by that, but in my opinion, since I was right in front of the play, it was a goal. It’s a very sad elimination for us, painful. Unfortunately, we couldn’t go through. Flamengo were much superior at certain moments of the game. The referee has to decide. In my opinion, I thought the ball went in, but it’s all good –, Matheus Pereira said in the mixed zone this Wednesday (19).

WHAT HAPPENED IN JORGINHO’S PLAY IN FLAMENGO VS CRUZEIRO, IN THE LIBERTADORES?

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The play mentioned by Matheus Pereira happened just two minutes into the second half. On that occasion, William lifted the ball into the box, and it took a deflection from Samuel Lino. As the play unfolded, the ball went past everyone and looped over goalkeeper Rossi. In the end, Jorginho appeared at exactly the right moment to clear the danger.

At first, Cruzeiro’s players began celebrating the goal, but referee Gustavo Tejera did not award it. In the end, after consulting VAR, the Uruguayan referee did not validate the goal for the team from Minas Gerais.

WHAT ELSE DID MATHEUS PEREIRA SAY AFTER FLAMENGO VS CRUZEIRO?

Besides commenting on the possible Cruzeiro goal, Matheus Pereira also spoke about the ‘clash’ with Jorginho on the field. In the player’s view, these disputes are part of how big the matchup between Flamengo and Cruzeiro was in the Libertadores round of 16.

– There were normal things that happen in a game. I think today’s game (Wednesday) wasn’t Jorginho against Matheus Pereira, it was Flamengo against Cruzeiro. Things that happen during the match are going to happen, that’s part of football. It raises the competitiveness and that’s perfectly fine –, Matheus Pereira stressed.

HOW DID FLAMENGO ADVANCE IN THE LIBERTADORES?

After a 1-1 draw at Mineirão, Flamengo and Cruzeiro decided the place in the next round at the Maracanã. That way, right in the first half, the Rubro-Negro dominated the attacking actions and went ahead 1-0 with a stunning goal by Arrascaeta.

After the break, Cruzeiro managed to level the game with a rocket from outside the box by Lucas Romero. Finally, after a move started by Arrascaeta, Pedro delivered a beautiful pass for Samuel Lino to leave his marker on the ground and seal Mengão’s victory. With that, Fla now await the winner of Independiente del Valle (ECU) and Tolima (COL) in the quarterfinals.

WHAT IS FLAMENGO’S NEXT MATCH?

Before thinking about the Libertadores again, however, Flamengo return to the field to face Cruzeiro once more, this time in the Brasileirão. The match will therefore be at 8:30 p.m. (Brasília time) this Saturday (22), at Mineirão. As usual, Coluna do Fla TV will show the details of the matchup with on-site coverage from Rodrigo Lima and Rock Hudson on YouTube, as well as on the website and social media.

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