Marlon Freitas rues cup exit, vows to fight on in the league | OneFootball

Marlon Freitas left the field inconsolable this Thursday, after Botafogo's elimination by Vasco, on penalties, in the quarter-finals of the Copa do Brasil, right at the Nilton Santos stadium.

After the defeat, the midfielder did not hide his frustration with the result, even though Botafogo had greater control of the match throughout the 90 minutes.

“It's difficult, I think we deserved to advance due to our game volume and intensity. We managed to set a very strong pace during the match, but unfortunately, we didn't achieve our goal. Another competition that slips away from us. All we have left is the Brazilian Championship,” said Marlon Freitas to SporTV.

Botafogo is currently in fifth place in the Brazilian Championship, with 35 points, 12 less than the leader Flamengo. Catching up with the red-black rival on the table will not be easy, but Marlon Freitas prefers not to “throw in the towel.”

“We need to move forward, take responsibility, there's still a lot of the championship ahead, we know it's difficult, but we need to fight, we need to keep going. I apologize to the fans, we fought until the end, it will hurt, it is hurting, but on Sunday we have a tough game and we need to turn the page as quickly as possible,” he added.

Despite the defeat on penalties, Botafogo was the one who took control of the match overall. The home team had more shots, more possession, and committed fewer fouls, but they were unable to convert this superiority into goals.

“Game by game, first of all, we need to unite now, keep working, helping each other, lifting each other up, as it has always been, like a family. It's not enough to be a family only in victories, we have to be a family in moments of pain. We need to unite even more, we know the fans are upset, we are also upset, very, very much, because in my analysis, we deserved a better result,” concluded Marlon Freitas.

Botafogo will return to the field next Sunday, when they visit São Paulo, at 5:30 PM (Brasília time), at Morumbi, for the Brazilian Championship.

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