Felipe Melo hits out at Flamengo fans after Plata’s red card | OneFootball

Felipe Melo Sees Exaggeration in Flamengo Fans' Criticism of Plata

The main topic among Flamengo fans this Thursday (06) was the sending off of Gonzalo Plata in the draw with São Paulo. For former Fluminense player and current commentator Felipe Melo, the red-and-black fans are being too harsh on the Ecuadorian.

— The play by Plata was worthy of a sending off, but it was due to an excess of will. He was doing what Filipe Luís instructs, which is to press hard when the opponent is bringing the ball out. The worst part is that the fans don’t even care, they already forget that the other two sendings off were unfair and now count three red cards. I’ve even seen people, including friends of mine, posting ‘Plata out’. Calm down, people! What’s going on? — said Felipe.

WHAT DID PLATA DO IN SÃO PAULO 2X2 FLAMENGO?

When Flamengo was leading São Paulo 2-1, Gonzalo Plata caught Arboleda’s ankle with the sole of his boot. As a result, referee Rodrigo Pereira Lima gave a straight red card to the red-and-black player. With one man down, the Most Beloved couldn’t withstand the opponent’s pressure.

Thus, São Paulo equalized with a goal from Ferreirinha and almost turned the game around. So, Plata was seen as the ‘villain’ by part of the Flamengo fanbase. The result prevented Mengão from taking the provisional lead in the Brasileirão on Wednesday night (05).

WHEN IS FLAMENGO’S NEXT MATCH?

Without Plata, who will serve an automatic suspension, Flamengo returns to the field this Sunday (09), against Santos, for the 33rd round of the Brasileirão. The match kicks off at 6:30 p.m. (Brasília time). For Mengão, the duel is of fundamental importance in the fight for the championship title.

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