Zubeldia: Fluminense played better despite defeat, slams pitch

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·26 février 2026

Zubeldia: Fluminense played better despite defeat, slams pitch

After the 2-1 defeat to Palmeiras, Luís Zubeldia assessed Fluminense's performance in the Brazilian Championship match. The coach believes that the Tricolor das Laranjeiras was “superior” and also criticized the synthetic turf at Arena Barueri.

“Overall, we played a good game. At the start, we had a turnover in defense that allowed them to attack the space. Then we had good chances and another transition, which is Palmeiras' strong point. Sometimes transitions have nothing to do with dominance. Fluminense dominated, but against a team that has quality and fast players,” said the coach in a press conference.

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Palmeiras had a great start to the game in Barueri, scoring twice before the 15-minute mark. First, at 9 minutes, Vitor Roque opened the scoring with a penalty, in a play that started after a passing error by Martinelli. Four minutes later, Allan extended the lead in another counterattack.

“They waited to be precise. We were superior in almost all aspects of the game... In possession, goal chances, corners... They were decisive in the first 20 minutes, and that carries significant weight. We played a very good game, which surpassed Palmeiras in many aspects. Even with the difficulties, we deserved to draw. And if we had won, it would have been fair,” he added.

Zubeldia criticizes synthetic turf

Besides evaluating Fluminense's performance, the coach also spoke about the synthetic turf at Arena Barueri. Zubeldia criticized the surface and explained that some substitutions were influenced by the turf.

“It's the second consecutive game we've played on synthetic turf. Overall, the team behaves well, but there are the aftereffects that the synthetic brings, which seem to me to be what specialists talk about in statistics. I have the feeling it causes more ligament and muscle injuries, but that's just what I think,” said the coach.

“Serna and Martinelli were planned substitutions, mainly because of the synthetic turf. Also Kennedy. Because they have been playing continuously with little recovery time on synthetic turf. This can cause back and knee pain. Unfortunately, we had to manage everyone's minutes,” he concluded.

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