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Former Left-Back Talks About ‘Overconfidence’ and Injury as Factors That Contributed to Defeat Against Santo André

Athirson, an idol of Flamengo and guest on FlamengoTV’s podcast, recalled the 2004 Copa do Brasil final when he played injured. The match, held at Maracanã, ended in a ‘Maracanazo’, with Santo André defeating the Rubro-Negro and claiming the title.

— For those who experienced our generation, they know that when the game isn’t going well, the fans start to boo, and that takes away your confidence. And then those guys scored, and you think: “Man, now you have to chase the game.” I was even injured, man, I shouldn’t have even been playing that day. So, I think overconfidence led to that bad result because we thought we could win at any moment — Athirson highlighted.

What was Flamengo’s context?

The former left-back returned to Flamengo shortly before the final, after a spell at Juventus (ITA). In the first leg, Athirson came on in the second half and scored a free-kick goal, tying the match at 2-2.

In the decisive match, with more than 70,000 fans at Maracanã, Flamengo only needed a simple draw to lift the trophy. Athirson came on again in the second half, but Santo André scored two goals, turning the score to 3-1.

And what did Athirson win?

Athirson is a product of Flamengo’s youth academy, a club for which he always showed affection. Throughout his journey with the Sacred Mantle, the former left-back played 252 matches, scored 37 goals, and provided 26 assists. Thus, the idol reached three Copa do Brasil finals, is a three-time Carioca champion, and won the Mercosul in 1999 against Palmeiras.

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