Zubeldía: Fluminense faded after 60 minutes in Vasco defeat

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·19 March 2026

Zubeldía: Fluminense faded after 60 minutes in Vasco defeat

After the 3-2 defeat to Vasco at the Maracanã, coach Luis Zubeldía analyzed Fluminense's performance and pointed out the physical decline and loss of control in the final minutes as key factors for the comeback suffered.

According to the coach, the Tricolor dominated the match until they went up 2-0, but couldn't maintain the pace throughout the 90 minutes.

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— Until the 2-0, it seemed to me that we were better, controlling the match. The result was within the context of the game. Then, with Martinelli's absence, they found a quick goal from a set piece and, from there, it was about specific actions. As the minutes passed, we couldn't maintain what we did for 60, 65 minutes, especially in the last 15 minutes. We conceded the lead to them — he stated.

Zubeldía highlighted that the result was due to specific errors, but also the fatigue of key players for the team's playing style.

— They pushed us. Important players to keep the ball got tired and I had to substitute to bring in a different profile. These are tough games because we knew that, at some point, the game would fall apart with crosses and set pieces. Everything we did for 70 minutes could change in 10, 15 minutes. Today that happened — he analyzed.

The changes made by the coach throughout the match were mostly related to the physical condition of the players. The exits of Martinelli and Acosta, for example, made way for players with different characteristics, impacting the team's ball possession control. The same happened with other changes during the second half.

— Despite deservedly going 2-0 up, they ended up winning 3-2 also deservedly. This has to do with that final imposition, which we couldn't resolve. The fatigue of certain players ended up tipping the balance for them to achieve the victory — he concluded.

With the result, Fluminense squandered the lead built in the derby and dropped to fourth place in the Brazilian Championship.

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