Was Paquetá poor v Morocco? Boto honest on Flamengo man's Copa debut | OneFootball

Flamengo football director José Boto commented on Brazil’s first World Cup match

Lucas Paquetá’s performance in the draw between Flamengo and Morocco on Saturday (13) is still drawing plenty of reaction. This time, the one who joined the debate was the club’s football director, José Boto. In addition to giving his opinion on the midfielder’s display, the Portuguese official also spoke about Danilo, who played the final 45 minutes.

— I think Paquetá, like almost the entire Brazil national team, delivered a performance a little below expectations. Danilo came on well, because he managed to contain Morocco’s left side, which was very dangerous, and stopped the attack down that flank. These are two performances that, although not exceptional, ended up being positive — said Boto in an interview with the Spanish newspaper ‘As’, published this Tuesday (16).

HOW DID FLAMENGO’S PLAYERS PERFORM AGAINST MOROCCO?

Lucas Paquetá was the only Flamengo player named in the starting lineup. Early in the match, the midfielder showed some nerves and misplaced passes he is not used to missing. However, still in the first half, in the closing moments, the No. 20 almost scored a stunning volley. Just when he was enjoying his best spell on the pitch, the academy product was substituted in the 15th minute of the second half.

Meanwhile, Danilo shone. After a frightening first half from Ibañez, the ‘hero of the Libertadores fourth title’ came on in the second half and fixed the problem on the right side of the Brazil national team’s defense, as director José Boto highlighted.

WHAT IS PEDRO PAULO CATONHO’S OPINION ON LUCAS PAQUETÁ?

— Paquetá felt the weight of the debut. At the start of the match, the midfielder drifted too much to the right side, where he does not feel comfortable, not even at Flamengo. When coach Carlo Ancelotti moved him more centrally and toward the left, Paquetá grew into the game. Unfortunately, just when the Flamengo man was having his best moment in the match, he ended up being taken off — opined the Coluna do Fla journalist.

WHEN IS BRAZIL’S NEXT MATCH?

In search of their first win at the World Cup, Brazil return to the pitch this Friday (19) against Haiti at 9:30 p.m. (Brasília time). Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, United States, will host the match, which will have full coverage from Coluna do Fla.

The match will be broadcast on free-to-air channels Globo and SBT. In addition, CazéTV’s YouTube channel will show the game. It is important to note that the match is decisive for Brazil’s hopes of qualifying for the second round of the 2026 World Cup.

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