Zubeldía backs Freytes after final: “We didn’t lose because of him”

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·9 March 2026

Zubeldía backs Freytes after final: “We didn’t lose because of him”

After Fluminense's defeat in the final of the Campeonato Carioca, coach Luis Zubeldía defended defender Freytes, who was a starter in the decision. The player was the target of criticism from some fans after the match, but the coach avoided individualizing the responsibility for the result.

In the press conference after the classic, Zubeldía highlighted that the defender has already had good performances for the club and stated that the defeat cannot be attributed to just one player.

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— He has played very well in some matches, made mistakes in others, and today he played a good game. We did not lose the final because of him specifically. There were other factors. Focusing only on this, to me, makes no sense — said the coach.

The tricolor commander emphasized that football is a team sport and that the analysis of the result needs to consider the performance of the team as a whole. The state championship decision ended goalless in regular time and was decided on penalties, with Flamengo coming out on top in the shootout.

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