Zubeldía rues Operário-PR goal error: “Some goals are avoidable”

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·13 May 2026

Zubeldía rues Operário-PR goal error: “Some goals are avoidable”

Fluminense secured a place in the Copa do Brasil round of 16 by beating Operário-PR 2-1 at the Maracanã, but left the field booed by the fans after another performance marked by defensive mistakes. After the match, coach Luís Zubeldía commented on Jemmes’ error on the goal conceded by Tricolor and admitted concern over the recurring problems in defense.

The play happened in the second half, when the No. 3 failed in his attempt to clear a cross and ended up allowing Operário-PR to cut the deficit.

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Some goals are avoidable. I didn’t talk to Jemmes about what happened on the cross that led to Operário’s goal. It seemed like he had everything to clear it, I don’t know what happened,” the coach said.

Despite the run of matches in which the team has been conceding goals, the Tricolor boss stressed that, in his view, the defensive problems do not always happen because of the opponents’ superiority.

Statistically, we are conceding goals, but not always because of the opponent’s dominance, sometimes because of isolated issues. I can’t tell you why. It could be insecurity because we weren’t winning, the time of year. It could be bad luck. It’s something we have to improve. We have the ability to improve,” he added.

Zubeldía also spoke about the options available for the defensive sector and indicated that he will continue choosing the center-backs according to the needs of each match.

We have three center-backs who could have been starters from January until now: Freytes, Ignácio and Jemmes, then Millán arrived. There’s Igor Rabello with far fewer minutes. There are three center-backs who, based on my experience in the Brasileirão, I will always choose according to what the game demands,” he explained.

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