Where's VAR? Bruno Henrique hacked down, no red in Flamengo v Cruzeiro

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Coluna do Fla

·13 August 2026

Where's VAR? Bruno Henrique hacked down, no red in Flamengo v Cruzeiro

What happened to Bruno Henrique in Flamengo vs. Cruzeiro?

Flamengo already has reason to complain about the refereeing in the match against Cruzeiro this Wednesday (12), in the first leg of the Libertadores round of 16. That’s because, ten minutes into the first half, Matheus Henrique stamped on Bruno Henrique, but was not sent off by referee Yael Falcón.

Right at the start of the match, the Cruzeiro midfielder dug his studs into Bruno Henrique’s shin. Even so, Yael Falcón showed only a yellow card to the Minas Gerais side’s player. In addition, VAR did not call the referee for a review, keeping the on-field decision.

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It is worth noting that, for Grupo Globo commentator PC Oliveira, Matheus Henrique should have been sent off for the heavy challenge on Bruno Henrique. In other words, Flamengo was harmed by the incident.

Will Matheus Henrique miss the second leg?

Yes! Matheus Henrique came into the match this Wednesday (12) one booking away from suspension, as he had received two yellow cards during the group stage. So, with the new booking against Flamengo, the Cruzeiro player will have to serve a suspension in the return match.

What is the article author’s opinion?

It is hard to understand Conmebol’s criteria. Bruno Henrique suffered a criminal challenge, a hard stamp on the shin that even tore the No. 27’s sock. Even so, referee Yael Falcón showed only a yellow card to Matheus Henrique. In addition, the match VAR, led by Hector Paletta, agreed with the decision and did not call the referee to review the play. In other words, Flamengo was clearly robbed at Mineirão,” said Davi Esteves, a journalist for Coluna do Fla.

Were yellow cards reset for the Libertadores round of 16?

Starting this year, Conmebol decided not to reset yellow cards for the early knockout rounds of the Libertadores. The only Flamengo player one booking away from suspension is Luiz Araújo, but the forward is recovering from a knee injury and is not playing in the first leg against Cruzeiro.

Therefore, yellow cards will only be reset starting from the Libertadores semifinals. That means Flamengo will have to be careful not to lose players to suspension in the continental competition.

When is the second leg between Flamengo and Cruzeiro?

The second match of the Libertadores round of 16 will take place next Wednesday (19), at 9:30 p.m. (Brasília time), at the Maracanã. In other words, Flamengo will decide the tie against Cruzeiro at the “Sacred Temple.”

This is because Flamengo finished the group stage with the best overall campaign in the Libertadores. Therefore, aside from the final, Leonardo Jardim’s team will play all of its knockout ties at the Maracanã, backed by the Rubro-Negro fans.

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