Mengao beat Fortaleza 2-0 and finished third in the league table. The Antofagasta midfielder started, while King was unable to play due to a sprain.
After sealing their qualification for the round of 16 of the Copa Libertadores, in midweek, the flamenco he had to quickly adjust the chip for local competition. After a start to the championship with many doubts, Mengao has recovered and is already on the podium in the standings. This Saturday, at the Maracana, the Rio de Janeiro giant beat Fortaleza 2-0. Erick Pulgar started in Jorge Sampaoli’s team, while Arturo Vidal was not in the call-up.
What happened to the king? In view of the clash against Aucas of Ecuador last Wednesday, the Chilean national team got a sprain, situation which prevented him from being on the call list not only for the Libertadores, but also for today’s session. The novelty of Fla is the incorporation of the Argentine goalkeeper Agustín Rossi, ex-Boca Juniors, after a loan to Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia (by Cristiano Ronaldo).
The visit, which featured Juan Martín Lucero from the start, had an ideal option to start in profit: a penalty. Within 11 minutes of the game, Yago Pikachu took charge of the shot, but the shot was blocked by goalkeeper Matheus Cunha, who dived to his left.
After this “save”, Flamengo reached the opening of the account. In the 14th minute, Gabriel Barbosa made it 1-0, connecting in great fashion with a pass from Giorgian De Arrascaeta. It was Gabigol’s 150th goal with the Rubro-Negro shirt. At the end of the first half, Pulgar received a yellow card. They went to rest with minimal benefit.
For the complement, Sampaoli showed the variety of alternatives available to the team: Pedro and Bruno Henrique entered, for Gabigol and Everton Ribeiro (both injured). The victory of Fla began to be condemned in the 64 ‘, with the 2-0 of the Uruguayan De Arrascaeta, thanks to a powerful shot that left goalkeeper Joao Ricardo unresponsive.
With this result, the Chilean Flamengo settles in the third place in the standings with 25 points after 13 games (eight wins, one draw and four losses). They are five points behind the leader, Botafogo, who will face the destitute Vasco da Gama tomorrow, currently in the relegation zone.
Next Wednesday, July 5, will be an important day for Fla. First, at noon, they will meet their rival in the round of 16 of the Copa Libertadores. As he came out second in his zone, behind Racing, he will have a yes or yes group winner. And in the evening, they have the first leg of the quarter-finals of the Brazilian Cup, against Athletico Paranaense.
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Source: Latercera
I’m Scott Moore, a professional writer and journalist based in the US. I’ve been writing for various publications for over 8 years now, and have been working as an author at athletistic for the past five years. My work has been featured by some of the leading sports websites and magazines across Europe.
