Paquetá hits 10 on Flamengo return and targets 20-goal season | OneFootball

Lucas Paquetá scored in Flamengo’s 2-0 win over Mirassol at the Maracanã, a rearranged Campeonato Brasileiro fixture. The midfielder reached 10 goals since rejoining the club and now has 20 in his sights for this season.

According to Globo.com, Paquetá said after the match that he had set an internal target of 10 for his return, achieved with three months still to play, and he now wants to double it to keep helping the team.

He added that operating from a deeper role makes scoring harder, but he is delighted to have hit 10 and will aim for 20 while chasing more goals to aid Flamengo victories.

With 10, he is two short of equalling his most prolific Flamengo year, the 12 he managed in 2018. It is already the third most productive season of his career, matching the 10 he scored for Lyon in 2020/21 and sitting one behind his second-best tally of 11 in 2021/22.

Head coach Leonardo Jardim praised his versatility, joking that his value rises because he can play in more than one position. Paquetá said he is happy to slot in wherever needed to help the team.

This was also his first full 90 minutes since suffering a muscle injury against Japan at the World Cup. In the six matches after the tournament he either started on the bench or was taken off in the second half.

Source: Globo.com

“Artificial intelligence was used to assist in creating this article based on reporting from the original source quoted.”