Zubeldía backs group progress after Bolívar loss: “Stay calm”

In partnership with

Saudações Tricolores.com

·1 mai 2026

Zubeldía backs group progress after Bolívar loss: “Stay calm”

Fluminense were defeated by Bolívar this Thursday (30) in the third round of the Libertadores group stage. With the result, the tricolor side are in a very complicated situation in Group C with just one point earned. After the match, Luis Zubeldía assured that the team will qualify for the next stage of the competition.

“First, it was an easy group for those who don’t know football. Second, stay calm because we’re going to qualify. Don’t worry about the table, we’re going to qualify and then you’ll tell me: ‘Yeah, mister, you qualified,’” said Zubeldía. “Fluminense will qualify. It’s a matter of feeling it, and we will qualify. We have a team good enough to qualify,” the coach added.

During the press conference, Luis Zubeldía justified his statement about qualifying in the competition, debating with the journalist who asked the question. The coach used the team’s strong Brasileirão campaign as justification.

Vidéos OneFootball

“How are we doing in the Brasileirão? Good. Is it good or not? I’m asking you. The answer matters. Is being third in the Brasileirão good or not? The objective in the Libertadores is to qualify. Of course I’d like to qualify in first place, but we need to qualify. We had three poor opening games in the Libertadores, but I have a lot of faith that we will qualify because I trust my team and the people who work here,” said Zubeldía. “For me, there’s a very good chance of qualifying. That’s the possibility. We’ve shown that we can play in any stadium. Now, in the Libertadores, the first three games were poor, but we can improve. If you look at the table, we’re in a bad position, but we’re not eliminated, we’re going to qualify. After that, it will be another matter. We have three matches left. Do you understand why we can qualify? Because it depends on us. I’m looking at it and saying we can correct our course. That’s how I see it.”

See the coach’s other answers:

Still on the Brasileirão

– That’s why I asked about the Brasileirão, people talk about the statistics from eight matches and I’ll give you another one. The reality is that we’re doing well in the Brasileirão, badly in the Libertadores, but we have three matches left. It depends on us. If you don’t have faith, that’s not my problem. That’s the only reality for me. We have three matches in which we can turn the situation around.

Changes to the lineup

– I always pick who I think is the best option, whether they work out or not. That’s why I asked what changes.

Did the early goal shape the match?

– The early goal was avoidable. An early goal always favors the team playing at altitude. It shaped the match, and we settled into the game late. Having the ball was important for us. But the home team managed to have it much more. Having the ball was important to avoid wearing ourselves out. But of course, in the first half we lacked penetration. I’m convinced that in the second half, if the sending-off mistake hadn’t happened (Bernal’s red card), we would have produced more offensively. Having the ball allows you to have a better match, to gradually create chances. Of course, the sending-off changes the entire plan.

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