On Tuesday night, Brazilian giants Palmeiras failed in their bid to qualify for three consecutive finals of the Copa Libertadores, the South American Champions League.
Twenty-four hours later, their domestic rival Flamengo secured their third final spot in four years.
After a 4-0 first leg semi-final win over Argentina’s Velez Sarsfield, Flamengo’s place in the decisive role has never been seriously questioned. They entered the second leg against a packed crowd in the Maracana, unbeaten in 16 games in all competitions. Velez, meanwhile, is ranked 27/28 in the Argentine first division, with just one win in 17 rounds.
At that time, Flamengo could hardly become a better candidate. They made four changes from the first roster. Centre-backs David Luiz and Leo Pereira are both suspended, and keep midfielder Thiago Maia and striker. Gabriel Barbosaa yellow card due to miss the final, was rested.
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But this does not mean that the team will take the game lightly. There is a painful memory from 14 years ago, when Flamengo beat Mexico in the first leg 4-2 away. With the away goals rule taking effect then, they are considered home and dry. The second leg was seen as more of a party than a serious game, and when they were eliminated 3-0, they paid the price for losing focus. There can be no repeat performance against Velez. A few players may be rested, but to replace them is the Chilean legend Arturo Vidal and winger Everton Soares, the hero of BrazilThe Copa America 2019 champion team was unable to go to Portugal.
But this is a different Velez from the first leg. In Buenos Aires, coach Alexander Medina embarked on a policy of suicide selection using two wingers and two forwards, with just two in the center of midfield. This time, he dropped a striker, brought in a third central midfielder and was able to observe his team, much more compact and competitive, briefly quieting the stadium by passing take the lead. Veteran striker Lucas Pratto started a counterattack and finished the move, passing the ball to the left to Nicolas Garayalde, who passed the ball to winger Lucas Janson. His low cross was then met by a missed finish from Pratto, which exploded intelligently in front of his marker.
Pratto moves quickly to get the ball out of the net and run back to the touchline. Does Velez really believe they can score three more goals and force a penalty shootout? Yes, they are having some problems with Flamengo, moving the ball outside the home team’s penalty area, but there is no real tension in the air. The clear opportunity for a second did not appear, and Flamengo’s excellent attack soon established itself.
Everton playmaker Ribeiro made a left-footed cross from deep on the right, and the central midfielder was in fine form, with Pedro catching up with a dangerous header that sent the ball wide. crossbar. It was his 12th goal in the competition. He’s not nimble, but his ability to range in the box is eye-catching, and he looks certain to be named Friday in Brazil’s squad for this month’s FIFA Day.
He also had a goal in the winning goal in the second half of the second half, getting past a defender and passing a pass to a substitute in the second half Marinho to finish his left foot from the edge of the box, completing to win 2-1. night and won 6-1 on aggregate.
An intriguing recent signing from Santos – he was the star of that team’s route to the 2020 Libertadores final – Marinho’s presence on the bench is a sign of the Flamengo team’s depth. . This helps explain the team’s phenomenal record at Libertadores this year: 11 wins and one draw, with 33 goals scored and 8 conceded. They will be the clear favorites on October 29 when they take on Athletico Paranaense – Brazil’s third consecutive final in Libertadores.
Not long ago, Flamengo struggled to qualify and then regularly struggled to make it through the group stage. The change has several explanations.
One is that the club has sorted its finances and has learned to leverage its huge support into financial strength. This model is also in line with trends in the global market. Flamengo produces and sells youth players to the top European clubs – Vinicius Junior, Lucas Paqueta, Reinier. And they use the proceeds to invest in two types of players from Europe; veterans looking to return home, and those in their 20s who have fallen short of expectations across the Atlantic but still have much to offer.
Meanwhile, common standards elsewhere on the continent have fallen. Brazil is scouting better and attracting players from other South American countries. Major League Soccer has also become an important player. Bored with Brazil because of its higher prices, MLS bought widely and wisely from across the continent, and as a result, as the big Brazilian clubs became stronger, their opponents tended to go in the other direction.
Brazil’s third consecutive final may be cause for concern among managers, but over the next few weeks it’s cause for celebration for fans of Flamengo and of Athletico Paranaense.
