Léo Ortiz rues missed chances as Flamengo fail to score more | OneFootball

Flamengo drew with Vasco 1 to 1 this Sunday, in the 24th round of the Brazilian Championship. After the match, defender Léo Ortiz lamented the missed chances that ultimately prevented the Rubro-Negro from securing the three points.

In response to questions about the changes in the starting lineup for the derby, Léo Ortiz was emphatic in defending the coaching staff's planning. For him, the rotation is an inevitable and necessary part of the season, given the marathon of games and the short recovery time.

“We have such a qualified squad that changes will happen throughout the year, there's nothing we can do, it's a lot of games, little time to rest,” said the defender in an interview with TV Globo.

Léo Ortiz also highlighted Filipe Luís's working methodology, which promotes constant integration among all athletes, going against the idea of a starting team and a reserve. “We are used to playing with everyone during training, Filipe is someone who doesn't usually designate starters and reserves,” he explained.

Reasons for the draw

The defender was also straightforward in diagnosing the reason for Flamengo's draw: lack of accuracy and a crucial mistake in a set piece.

“Today's draw, we failed to score more goals, we had some clear opportunities,” analyzed the defender, acknowledging that the game became more open in the second half, with chances for both sides.

The most regretted point by the defender was Vasco's equalizing goal, which came from a corner kick. Léo Ortiz emphasized the importance of this type of play in such a balanced competition, admitting the team's error in one of their strong points.

“We conceded a goal from a set piece, which we know can decide championships. Many times we take advantage of this, but today we failed in this and conceded the goal,” he lamented.

Title race remains open

Despite the frustrating result in a derby, Léo Ortiz's speech was of complete confidence in the team's ability to recover. The defender reminded that the championship is long and that Flamengo will still have direct confrontations to recover the lost points.

“We ended with a draw in the derby, but there's a lot of championship ahead, there are still direct confrontations and we can recover these points away from home too,” concluded the defender, already projecting the continuation of the fight for the Brazilian Championship title.

With the draw, Flamengo remained at the top of the Brasileirão, but saw the gap to second-placed Palmeiras, who have one game less, shrink to two points. In the next round, the Rubro-Negro faces Corinthians this Sunday, at 8:30 PM (Brasília time), at the Neo Química Arena.

Before that, however, there's the second leg of the Libertadores quarter-finals against Estudiantes, this Thursday, at 9:30 PM, in Argentina. Flamengo won the first leg at Maracanã, 2 to 1, and only needs a draw to advance to the semifinals.

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